Base-Metal Catalysis

Thank you very much MJ for a fantastic talk. Any questions from the audience?

When developing three-component reactions, a common pitfall is cross coupling between the electrophile. To address this, we typically use 2 to 3 equivalents of reagents to minimize side products resulting from homo or cross coupling. SP2 hybridized electrophiles tend to work best in our reactions, while SP3 hybridized electrophiles have been more challenging due to multiple side reactions.

In our first-generation reaction system, we used a bimetallic Nickel precatalyst for its efficiency and selectivity. Later studies showed that Nickel zero complexes can also be effective with larger carbon ligands, eliminating the need for sensitive Nickel one complexes.

When using Nickel zero complexes, the starting catalyst is Nickel zero, while Nickel one complexes go through a different activation process. EPR studies support this, although concrete proof is lacking due to the inability to isolate intermediates.