Cobalt-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of α-Bromo Amides with Grignard Reagents

A cobalt-catalyzed cross-coupling between alpha-bromo amides and Grignard reagents is disclosed. The reaction is general and allows access to a large variety of alpha-aryl and beta,gamma-unsaturated amides. Some mechanistic investigations have been undertaken to determine the nature of the intermediate species.