Nickel-Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction of Aryl Fluorides

Two protocols for the nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl fluorides with aryl boronic esters have been developed. The first employs metal fluoride cocatalysts, such as ZrF4 and TiF4, which enable Suzuki-Miyaura reactions of aryl fluorides bearing electron-withdrawing (ketones, esters, and CF3), aryl and alkenyl groups as well as those comprising fused aromatic rings, such as fluoronaphthalenes and fluoroquinolines. The second protocol employs aryl fluorides bearing ortho-directing groups, which facilitate the difficult C-F bond activation process via cyclometalation. N-heterocycles, such as pyridines, quinolines, pyrazoles, and oxazolines, can successfully promote cross-coupling with an array of organoboronic esters. A study into the substituent effects with respect to both coupling components has provided fundamental insights into the mechanism of the nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl fluorides.