Palladium-catalyzed amination of aryl and heteroaryl tosylates at room temperature.

Mild palladium-catalyzed aminations of aryl tosylates and the first aminations of heteroaryl tosylates are described. In the presence of the combination of L2Pd(0) (L = P(o-tol)3) and the hindered Josiphos ligand CyPF-t-Bu, a variety of primary alkylamines and arylamines react with both aryl and heteroaryl tosylates at room temperature to form the corresponding secondary arylamines in high yields with complete selectivity for the monoarylamine. These reactions at room temperature occur in many cases with catalyst loadings of 0.1 mol % and 0.01 mol % in one case, constituting the most efficient aminations of aryl tosylates by nearly 2 orders of magnitude. This catalyst is made practical by the development of a convenient method to synthesize the L2Pd(0) precursor. This complex is stable to air as a solid. In contrast to conventional relative rates for reactions of aryl sulfonates, the reactions of aryl tosylates are faster than parallel reactions of aryl triflates, and the reactions of aryl tosylates are faster than parallel or competitive reactions of aryl chlorides.