Highly Active cis -Diphosphinoalkenyl-Nickel Catalysts for Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction of Aryl Chlorides and Aryl Boronic Acids

A new class of cis -diphosphinoalkenyl-nickel complexes were designed/synthesized as efficient precatalysts for Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of less reactive aryl chlorides with arylboronic acids. Ligand’s rigid five-membered ring and balanced steric/electronic effects optimized catalysis. The cis -diphosphine ethene ligand-Ni(II)ArCl complexes allowed the generation of biaryls with up to 99% yield under mild conditions. This catalytic system features a broad substrate scope, excellent gram-scale scalability, and successful application in the coupling of drug-related molecules. Overall, this work provides a cost-effective and air-stable catalytic platform and further enriches the library of phosphine-based ligands.