Rotating Magnetic Field–Enhanced PPh3-Mediated Deoxygenative C–N Coupling of Nitroarenes with Boronic Acids

Abstract

Diarylamine are privileged motifs in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials, yet their synthesis typically relies on transition-metal-catalyzed C-N couplings that require prefunctionalized anilines. We report a solvent-free electromagnetic mechanochemical protocol that enables PPh3-promoted deoxygenative C-N coupling of nitroarenes with boronic acids under a rotating magnetic field. The synergistic action of electromagnetic induction and mechanical collision activates simple triphenylphosphine to promote C-N bond formation without silanes, light, electrochemistry, or designer phosphines. Notably, bromo-and iodo-substituted substrates-often incompatible with conventional metal-catalyzed systems-remained completely intact, highlighting the exceptional halogen tolerance of this protocol. The reaction proceeds smoothly in air and without solvent, demonstrating a robust, sustainable, and magnetically driven strategy for C-N bond construction from simple and abundant feedstocks.