Over the last two decades many different auxiliary ligand systems have been utilized in the copper-catalyzed Ullmann amination reaction. However, there has been little consensus on the relative merits of the varied ligands and the exact role they might play in the catalytic process. Accordingly, in this work some of the most commonly employed auxiliary ligands have been evaluated for C–N coupling using reaction progress kinetic analysis (RPKA) methodology. The results reveal not only the relative kinetic competencies of the different auxiliary ligands but also their markedly different influences on catalyst degradation rates. For the model Ullmann reaction between piperidine and iodobenzene using the soluble organic base bis­(tetra-n-butylphosphonium) malonate (TBPM) at room temperature, N-methylglycine was shown to give the best performance in terms of high catalytic rate of reaction and comparatively low catalyst deactivation rates. Further experimental and rate data indicate a common catalytic cycle for all auxiliary ligands studied, although additional off-cycle processes are observed for some of the ligands (notably phenanthroline). The ability of the auxiliary ligand, base (malonate dianion), and substrate (amine) to all act competitively as ligands for the copper center is also demonstrated. On the basis of these results an improved protocol for room-temperature copper-catalyzed C–N couplings is presented with 27 different examples reported.

The application of ionic organic bases in the copper‐catalyzed amination reaction (Ullmann reaction) has been studied at room temperature, with sub‐mol‐% catalyst loadings, and with more challenging amines at elevated temperatures. The cation present in the base has been shown to have little effect on the reaction at standard catalyst and ancillary ligand loadings, whereas the choice of anion is crucial for good reactivity. A substrate scope carried out at room temperature with the best performing bases, TBAM and TBPM, showed both bases to be highly effective under these mild reaction conditions. Moreover, under sub‐mol % catalyst loadings and room temperature conditions, TBPM gave good to excellent yields for a number of different amines and functionalized aryl iodides (14 examples). However, reactions involving more challenging amines gave little or no yield. By using more forceful conditions (120 °C) moderate to excellent yields of cross‐coupled products containing more challenging amines was achievable using TBPM and to a lesser extent with TBAM. As part of this work a study on the stability of the organic bases at 120 °C was undertaken. TBAM is shown to decompose to give nBu3N and mono‐butylmalonate at higher temperatures, and this can be correlated to a decrease in performance in the coupling reaction. The phosphonium cations in TBPM did not undergo analogous reactivity but were shown instead to experience some degree of deprotonation at the α‐CH2 to generate phosphonium ylides. This however did not lead to a significantly degradation in the activity of the TBPM in the cross‐coupling reaction.