Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Amination of Aldehydes and Nitroarenes.

Here, we report a novel and efficient method for the synthesis of secondary amines by Ni-catalyzed aldehydes and nitro(hetero)arenes. High yields of aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic products were obtained. For aliphatic aldehydes with nitro(hetero)arenes, they can furnish in one step a wide range of amines bearing functional groups relevant to the development of drugs and agrochemicals. The wide substrate scope, mild reaction conditions, robustness, and generality of the method suggest that this protocol can be a powerful alternative to existing methodologies for the preparation of amines from readily available precursors.