Ligand-Accelerated Cross-Coupling of C(sp2)-H Bonds with Arylboron Reagents

A ligand-accelerated Pd(II)-catalyzed C(sp(2))-H/arylboron cross-coupling reaction of phenylacetic acid substrates is reported. Using Ac-Ile-OH as the ligand and Ag2CO3 as the oxidant, a fast, high-yielding, operationally simple, and functional group-tolerant protocol has been developed for the cross-coupling of phenyl acetic acid substrates with aryltrifluoroborates. This ligand scaffold has also been shown to improve catalysis using 1 atm O-2 as the sole reoxidant, which sheds light on the path forward in developing optimized ligands for aerobic C-H/arylboron cross-coupling.