Ni0-catalyzed Direct Amination of Anisoles Involving the Cleavage of Carbon-Oxygen Bonds

Ni-0-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl methyl ethers with amines is described. The use of an N-heterocyclic carbene as a ligand and NaOt-Bu as a base promotes the amination of anisole derivatives via the cleavage of normally unreactive aryl carbon-oxygen bonds.