Nickel-catalyzed Amide Transformation via C-N Bond Cleavage

Acyl metal species generated from carboxylic acid derivatives upon treating with low valent transition-metal complexes have been utilized for various catalytic transformations. Recently, it was revealed that a catalyst system of Ni(0)/NHC (N-Heterocyclic Carbene) triggered amide C-N bond cleavage via oxidative addition to afford acyl nickel complexes. The obtained acyl species were further converted into the corresponding esters and ketones in catalytic manner. A proposed reaction mechanism and some synthetic applications are concisely summarized herein.