Simple Nickel Salts for the Amination of (Hetero)aryl Bromides and Iodides with Lithium Bis(trimethylsilyl)amide

Recent developments in the chemistry of C-N bond formation and the synthesis of anilines have allowed for the use of first-row transition metals to catalyze these transformations. Much of the progress in this area has been driven by comprehensive screening for privileged/tailored ligands, which can be costly and not readily available in a research laboratory setting. In this communication we report a protocol in which simple nickel salts catalyze the C-N cross-coupling reaction between (hetero)aryl bromides and iodides with lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide without the need for any additive ligand. This method is amenable to low nickel catalyst loadings (1%) as well as gram-scale reactions. Because of the good functional group tolerance and compatibility with heterocyclic moieties, this method is useful for academic laboratory settings where access to tailored ligands and noble-metal catalysts could be challenging.