Me3(OMe)tBuXPhos: a surrogate ligand for Me4tBuXPhos in palladium-catalyzed C-N and C-O bond-forming reactions.

A new biarylphosphine ligand, Me(3)(OMe)tBuXPhos (L3), was designed as a surrogate for Me(4)tBuXPhos (L1). The Me(3)(OMe)tBuXPhos could be prepared in a chromatography-free manner from inexpensive and readily available 2,3,6-trimethylphenol. Comparative studies demonstrated that a catalyst based on Me(3)(OMe)tBuXPhos displayed the same reactivity as a catalyst based on Me(4)tBuXPhos for Pd-catalyzed C-N and C-O bond-forming processes.