N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Ligand‐Enabled C(sp3)−H Arylation of Piperidine and Tetrahydropyran Derivatives

Pd(II)-catalyzed C(sp(3))-H arylation of saturated heterocycles with a wide range of aryl iodides is enabled by an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand. A C(sp(3))-H insertion step by the Pd(II)/NHC complex in the absence of ArI is demonstrated experimentally for the first time. Experimental data suggests that the previously established NHC-mediated Pd(0)/Pd(II) catalytic manifold does not operate in this reaction. This transformation provides a new approach for diversifying pharmaceutically relevant piperidine and tetrahydropyran ring systems.