Air-stable and highly efficient indenyl-derived phosphine ligand: Application to Buchwald-Hartwig amination reactions

2-Mesitylindenyl phosphine ligand (1) and [(2-mesitylindenyl)dicyclohexyl-phosphine]PdCl2 (2) have been synthesized and fully characterized by NMR and elemental analysis, as well as by X-ray crystallography for 2. A Highly active catalyst system derived from a palladium precatalyst and bulky 2-mesitylindenyl phosphine ligand (1) for the Buchwald-Hartwig amination reaction of aryl halides with primary and secondary amines has been developed. This method allows for the preparation of a wide variety of amines in moderate to excellent yields and displays a high level of activity for the coupling of aryl chlorides as well as hindered aryl bromides. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.