Roadmap to the Synthesis of Nickel Bisoxazoline Aryl Halide Complexes

This manuscript discloses a synthetic route to a range of bisoxazoline-ligated Ni(II) aryl bromide and chloride complexes, which are widely proposed as key intermediates in Ni-catalyzed reactions. Structural characterization by NMR and X-ray crystallography confirms a distorted square planar geometry, while UV-Vis analysis reveals spectral variations influenced by the BOX ligand, aryl group, and halide identity. Given the challenges associated with synthesizing these complexes, our approach provides a practical and generalizable route to access them, facilitating their use in mechanistic studies. This work is expected to aid in distinguishing on-cycle and off-cycle species and in determining whether Ni(0) or Ni(I) pathways are operative in catalytic processes.