A general copper-catalyzed radical C(sp3)−C(sp2) cross-coupling to access 1,1-diarylalkanes under ambient conditions

A general copper-catalyzed C(sp)−C(sp) cross-coupling of (hetero)benzyl bromides with the air- and moisture-stable aryl nucleophiles has been developed, providing a facile access to pharmaceutically useful 1,1-di(hetero)arylalkane and 1-aryl-1-heteroarylalkane scaffolds. Critical to the success is the utilization of a proline-based N,N,P-ligand to enhance the reducing capability of copper, thus easily converting benzyl bromides to the corresponding radical species via a single-electron transfer process under ambient conditions. The reaction features a broad substrate scope, covering (hetero)arylboronate esters, oxadiazoles, and benzo[d]oxazoles, as well as primary and secondary (hetero)benzyl bromides with excellent functional group tolerance.