Cationic palladium and nickel complexes have been found to catalyze
the ring-opening of meso-N-aryl aziridines with anilines very
efficiently and furnish valuable 1,2-diamines in typically excellent
yields. The active catalysts were generated in situ from the corresponding
metal dichloride bis(triphenylphosphine) complexes through chloride
abstraction with a silver salt. This new protocol is applicable
across a broad substrate range with both cyclic as well as acyclic
aziridines. In addition, cationic gold-phosphine complexes
proved to be highly reactive as well as delivering products in comparable
rates and yields.
aziridine - catalysis - 1,2-diamine - nickel - palladium