Design and Synthesis of Dialkylarylphosphine Urea Ligands and their Application in Palladium‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling Reactions

We describe herein the synthesis and design of a new class of dialkylarylphosphine ligands incorporating a Lewis‐basic urea subunit. The ligand synthesis consisted of six linear steps and was enabled by the discovery of a new N‐to‐N alkyl migration reaction. This new series of dialkylarylphosphine urea ligands were applied in common palladium catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions for the formation of carbon‐carbon and carbon‐nitrogen bonds in moderate to high yields.