Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductive Diarylation of Vinylarenes

A nickel-catalyzed asymmetric diarylation reaction of vinylarenes enables the preparation of chiral alpha,alpha,beta-triarylated ethane scaffolds, which exist in a number of biologically active molecules. The use of reducing conditions with aryl bromides as coupling partners obviates the need for stoichiometric organometallic reagents and tolerates a broad range of functional groups. The application of an N-oxyl radical as a ligand to a nickel catalyst represents a novel approach to facilitate nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.