Bismuth- and hafnium-catalyzed hydroamination of vinyl arenes with sulfonamides, carbamates, and carboxamides.

Catalytic intermolecular hydroamination of vinyl arenes is described. Our initial investigation revealed that a Bi(OTf)3/[Cu(CH3CN)4]PF6 system previously developed for catalytic intermolecular hydroamination of 1,3-dienes was suitable for hydroamination of a styrene with sulfonamides, but the substrate generality of this system was unsatisfactory. Several metals were screened to expand the substrate scope, and a new Hf(OTf)4/[Cu(CH3CN)4]PF6 system was determined to be highly suitable. The combination of Hf(OTf)4 and [Cu(CH3CN)4]PF6 efficiently promoted the hydroamination of various vinyl arenes, including less-reactive vinyl arenes with electron-withdrawing groups. This strategy was applied to sulfonamides, carbamates, and carboxamides, and products were obtained in up to 99% yield with 0.3-10 mol % catalyst loading.