Robust Acenaphthoimidazolylidene Palladacycles: Highly Efficient Catalysts for the Amination of N-Heteroaryl Chlorides

A series of robust N-heterocyclic carbene palladacycles have been successfully developed. These showed high catalytic activity and selectivity toward the challenging amination of N-heteroaryl chlorides. Different primary and secondary amines were fully compatible with this catalytic system. Remarkably, no double amination products could be detected when primary amines were utilized in our catalytic transformation. Furthermore, the protocol has been successfully extended to synthesize rosiglitazone, a clinical drug for diabetes mellitus, highlighting its potential pharmaceutical feasibility.