Nickel-Catalyzed Synthesis of Primary Aryl and Heteroaryl Amines via C-O Bond Cleavage.

A nickel-catalyzed protocol for the conversion of aryl and heteroaryl alcohol derivatives to primary and secondary aromatic amines via C(sp2)-O bond cleavage is described. The new amination protocol can be applied to a range of substrates bearing diverse functional groups and uses readily available benzophenone imines as an effective nitrogen source.