Homogeneous Organic Reductant Based on 4,4'- t Bu 2 -2,2'-Bipyridine for Cross-Electrophile Coupling.

The synthesis of a new homogeneous reductant based on 4,4'- t Bu 2 -2,2'-bipyridine, t Bu-OED 4 , is reported. t Bu-OED 4 was prepared on a multigram scale in two steps from inexpensive and commercially available starting materials, with no chromatography required for purification. t Bu-OED 4 has a reduction potential of -1.33 V (vs Ferrocenium/Ferrocene) and is soluble in a range of common organic solvents. We demonstrate that t Bu-OED 4 can facilitate Ni/Co dual-catalyzed C(sp 2 )-C(sp 3 ) cross-electrophile coupling reactions and is highly functional group tolerant. t Bu-OED 4 is expected to be a valuable addition to the set of homogeneous reductants available for organic transformations.