Pincer-type Nickel Catalyst

Bromo[(2,6-pyridinediyl)bis(3-methyl-1-imidazolyl-2-ylidene)]nickel Bromide (1) is a pincer-type nickel complex, developed by Inamoto et al., which is stable in air, and effective as a catalyst for cross coupling reactions such as the Heck reaction,^1a) the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction,^1a-b) and the Kumada-Tamao-Corriu reaction.^1b) In the Kumada-Tamao-Corriu reaction,^1b) for example, the reaction proceeds in the presence of a catalytic amount of 1 in THF at room temperature to give the corresponding products in high yields, even if less reactive aryl fluorides are used. It is also possible to use substrates having various functional groups in Suzuki-Miyaura reactions. By using this method, various biaryl compounds can be obtained.