Late-Stage C(sp2)–C(sp3) Diversification via Nickel Oxidative Addition Complexes

Nickel catalysis has emerged as a powerful technique for streamlining the access to exceedingly complex organic molecules from simple precursors. However, nickel-catalyzed cross-couplings with advanced synthetic intermediates still remain a considerable challenge. Herein, we describe a technique based on the utilization of nickel oxidative addition complexes (Ni-OAC) of drug-like molecules as a platform to rapidly and reliably generate lead candidates with enhanced C(sp3) fraction. The potential of Ni-OACs to access new chemical space has been assessed in three different C(sp2)–C(sp3) bond-forming events without recourse to specialized ligand backbones. Reactions with Ni-OACs proceed under exceptionally mild conditions and with improved generality when compared to nickel-catalyzed reactions. The development of an automated process for forging C(sp2)–C(sp3) architectures further illustrates the robustness and generality of Ni-OACs, thus offering a new gateway to expedite the design-make-test-analyze (DMTA) cycle in drug discovery