Fluorine-substituted arylphosphine for an NHC-Ni(I) system, air-stable in a solid state but catalytically active in solution

Article abstract of DOI:10.3390/molecules24183222

Monovalent NHC-nickel complexes bearing triarylphosphine, in which fluorine is incorporated onto the aryl groups, have been synthesized. Tris(3,5-di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)phosphine efficiently gave a monovalent nickel bromide complex, whose structure was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis for the first time. In the solid state, the Ni(I) complex was less susceptible to oxidation in air than the triphenylphosphine complex, indicating greatly improved solid-state stability. In contrast, the Ni(I) complex in solution can easily liberate the phosphine, high catalytic activity toward the Kumada–Tamao–Corriu coupling of aryl bromides.