A highly active palladium catalyst for intermolecular hydroamination. Factors that control reactivity and additions of functionalized anilines to dienes and vinylarenes

Improved catalysts for additions of arylamines to vinylarines and dienes are developed and these catalysts can tolerate the types of functionality commonly found unnatural products and pharmaceutically active materials. It is also found that palladium complexes of Xantphos are much more reactive catalysts for the hydroamination of dienes and vinylarenes than known catalysts and that the concentration of active catalyst and identity of the counterion control reactivity.