Cobalt-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling of aryl bromides and linear secondary alkyl bromides

Abstract

Cross-electrophile coupling (XEC) of alkyl halides and aryl halides represents a straightforward approach for the construction of the important C(sp³)–C(aryl) motif. While nickel-catalyzed such transformations are broadly investigated, the corresponding cobalt-catalyzed reactions are less developed. Particularly, cobalt-catalyzed XEC between linear secondary alkyl halides and aryl halides remains challenging. Herein, we report an efficient cobalt-catalyzed XEC reaction of aryl halides with linear secondary alkyl halides (29 examples, up to 89% yield). The reaction proceeds under mild conditions and tolerates a range of functionalized linear secondary alkyl bromides as coupling partners with various aryl bromides. The key to the reaction is the use of a phosphino-oxazoline (PHOX) ligand bearing a sterically hindered substituent on the oxazoline moiety.