Nickel-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Borylation of Amides: Evidence for Acyl C-N Bond Activation

A nickel/N-heterocyclic carbene catalytic system has been established for decarbonylative borylation of amides with B(2)nep(2) by C-N bond activation. This transformation shows good functional-group compatibility and can serve as a powerful synthetic tool for late-stage borylation of amide groups in complex compounds. More importantly, as a key intermediate, the structure of an acyl nickel complex was first confirmed by X-ray analysis. Furthermore, the decarbonylative process was also observed. These findings confirm the key mechanistic features of the acyl C-N bond activation process.