Facile preparation of highly-functionalized, nitrogen-bearing diarylmethanes

A palladium-catalyzed cross coupling of nitrogen bearing heterocyclic chloromethyl derivatives with aryl and heteroaryl boronic acids has been developed. In almost all cases, highly efficient cross-couplings were observed at ambient temperature, mitigating unwanted thermally induced side-reactions. The comprehensive substrate scope and respectable yields highlight the synthetic utility of this reaction. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.