Synthesis and reactivity of late transition metal complexes of bis(8-quinolinyl)amine

A markedly improved synthesis for the previously reported bis(8-quinolinyl)amine (BQA) ligand has been developed utilizing Pd-coupling methods recently developed by the groups of Buchwald and Hartwig. This synthesis allows ready access to multigram quantities of bis(8-quinolinyl)amine, and the development of a host of Ni, Pd, & Pt chemistry supported by the monoanionic, tridentate amido ligand will be discussed.