Overcoming limitations in dual photoredox/nickel-catalysed C–N cross-couplings due to catalyst deactivation

Dual photoredox/nickel-catalysed C–N cross-couplings suffer from low yields for electron-rich aryl halides. The formation of catalytically inactive nickel-black is responsible for this limitation and causes severe reproducibility issues. Here, we demonstrate that catalyst deactivation can be avoided by using a carbon nitride photocatalyst. The broad absorption of the heterogeneous photocatalyst enables wavelength-dependent control of the rate of reductive elimination to prevent nickel-black formation during the coupling of cyclic, secondary amines and aryl halides. A second approach, which is applicable to a broader set of electron-rich aryl halides, is to run the reactions at high concentrations to increase the rate of oxidative addition. Less nucleophilic, primary amines can be coupled with electron-rich aryl halides by stabilizing low-valent nickel intermediates with a suitable additive. The developed protocols enable reproducible, selective C–N cross-couplings of electron-rich aryl bromides and can also be applied for electron-poor aryl chlorides. Dual nickel/photoredox catalysis is a promising alternative for palladium-catalysed cross-couplings, but suffers from limitations. Now, the substrate scope and reproducibility of this method are improved by avoiding catalyst deactivation and strategies to achieve the latter are reported.