The first detailed study of the palladium-catalyzed amination of aryl nonaflates is reported. Use of ligands 2-4 and 6 allows for the catalytic amination of electron-rich and -neutral aryl nonaflates with both primary and secondary amines. With use of Xantphos 5, the catalytic amination of a variety of functionalized aryl nonaflates resulted in excellent yields of anilines; even 2-carboxymethyl aryl nonaflate is effectively coupled with a primary alkylamine. Moderate yields were obtained when coupling halo-aryl nonaflates with a variety of amines, where in most cases the aryl nonaflate reacted in preference to the aryl halide. Overall, aryl nonaflates are an effective alternative to triflates in palladium-catalyzed C-N bond-forming processes due to their increased stability under the reaction conditions.

DNA-encoded library technology (ELT) has emerged in the pharmaceutical industry as a powerful tool for hit and lead generation. Over the last 10 years, a number of DNA-compatible chemical reactions have been published and used to synthesize libraries. Among the most commonly used reactions in medicinal chemistry is the C−N bond formation, and its application to DNA-encoded library technology affords an alternative approach to identify high-affinity binders for biologically relevant protein targets. Herein we report a newly developed Pd-promoted C−N cross coupling reaction between DNA-conjugated aryl bromides and a wide scope of arylamines in good to excellent yields. The mild reaction conditions should facilitate the synthesis of novel DNA-encoded combinatorial libraries.

The synthesis of a wide structural variety of enantiopure 1-phosphino-2-sulfenylferrocene ligands 1 possessing exclusively planar chirality is described. In the case of the readily available tert-butylsulfenyl derivatives very high enantioselectivities were obtained in the palladium-catalyzed allylic substitution of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate with dimethyl malonate (ee's up to 97%) and nitrogen nucleophiles (ee's up to 99.5%). Palladium complexes of these ferrocenes were characterized by NMR and X-ray diffraction, revealing the P,S-bidentate character of the ligands 1 and the formation of a single epimer on the stereogenic sulfur atom resulting from the complexation with palladium. A model justifying the observed asymmetric induction exerted by this novel family of chiral ferrocenes, supported by solution NMR studies on a palladium allylic complex, is discussed.

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A ready access to a new family of planar chiral ferrocenes, the (RFc,RS)-2-amino substituted 1-tert-butylsulfinylferrocenes, is described; in the case of the sulfonamide series enantioselectivities of up to 96% were obtained in the addition of Et2Zn to aromatic aldehydes.