Structure-Reactivity Relationships of Buchwald-Type Phosphines in Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Couplings

The dialkyl-ortho-biaryl class of phosphines, commonly known as Buchwald-type ligands, are among the most important phosphines in Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling catalysis. These ligands have also recently been applied to select Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling methodologies. However, little is known about their structure-reactivity relationships (SRRs) with Ni, and limited examples of well-defined, catalytically relevant Ni complexes with Buchwald-type ligands exist. In this work, we report the analysis of Buchwald-type phosphine SRRs in four representative Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. Our study was guided by data-driven classification analysis, which together with organometallic studies of structurally characterized Ni(0) and Ni(II) complexes and density functional theory allowed us to rationalize reactivity patterns in catalysis. Overall, we expect that this study will serve as a platform for further exploration of this ligand class in organonickel chemistry, as well as in the development of new Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling methodologies.