Copper-Catalyzed C(aryl)-N Bond Formation

Although requiring the use of stoichiometric amounts of metal and harsh conditions, the copper-mediated coupling reactions of aryl halides with amines and phenols (Ullmann condensations), amides and carbamates (Ullmann-Goldberg condensations), or activated methylene compounds (Ullmann-Hurtley condensations) have been for a long time useful methods for the formation of C(aryl)-N, C(aryl)-O, and C(aryl)-C bonds. In 2001, a renaissance of the Ullmann reaction has been initiated with the discovery of versatile new copper catalytic systems for C-C, C-N, or C-O coupling under mild temperature conditions. This chapter covers more specifically the copper-catalyzed C(aryl)-N bond formation via the coupling of aryl halides with nitrogen nucleophiles such as N-heterocycles, amines, anilines, amides, ammonia, azides, hydroxylamines, nitrite salts or phosphonic amides. The C(aryl)-N bond formation as a result of the coupling between these nucleophiles and arylboronic acids (the Chan-Lam reaction) will be also presented. It is worth noting that this chapter mainly focuses on the most significant results and important breakthroughs in this field.