Design of an Electron-Withdrawing Benzonitrile Ligand for Ni-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Involving Tertiary Nucleophiles.

The design of new ligands for cross-coupling is essential for developing new catalytic reactions that access valuable products such as pharmaceuticals. In this report, we exploit the reactivity of nitrile-containing additives in Ni catalysis to design a benzonitrile-containing ligand for cross-coupling involving tertiary nucleophiles. Kinetic and Hammett studies are used to elucidate the role of the optimized ligand, which demonstrate that the benzonitrile moiety acts as an electron-acceptor to promote reductive elimination over β-hydride elimination and stabilize low-valent Ni. With these conditions, a protocol for decyanation-metalation and Ni-catalyzed arylation is conducted, enabling access to quaternary α-arylnitriles from disubstituted malononitriles.