Patent ID: 8058477

Claim:
A process for preparing an aromatic primary amine, said aromatic primary amine comprising an amino group attached to an aromatic ring, said process comprising reacting: (a) an arylating agent comprising a leaving group attached to an aromatic ring; and (b) an ammoniating agent selected from the group consisting of: (i) ammonia; and (ii) a metal amide; in a composition comprising a complex comprising: (a) a Group VIII metal atom or ion; and (b) a ligand, wherein the ligand is a compound of formula I: wherein: R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 12 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 12 )heteroalkyl, and optionally substituted aromatic rings, or â€”PR 1 R 2 is a radical of the formula II: wherein Î± and Î² are optionally substituted aromatic rings; R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 12 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 12 )heteroalkyl, and optionally substituted aromatic rings, or â€”PR 3 R 4 is a radical of the formula II; R 5 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 8 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 8 )heteroalkyl and optionally substituted aromatic rings, each R 6 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl; wherein each of said optionally substituted aromatic rings is either unsubstituted or substituted at any substitutable position with one or more substituents independently selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )heteroalkyl, (C 1 -C 3 ) fluorinated alkyl, â€”OR 7 , â€”SR 7 , and NR 7 2 ; each R 7 is independently selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl and (C 1 -C 4 )heteroalkyl, or, within any occurrence of NR 7 2 , independently of any other occurrence of NR 7 2 the two R 7 groups in combination form (C 4 -C 8 )alkylene or (C 4 -C 8 )heteroalkylene; or any one occurrence of R 6 , or any one substitutable position of any one of the groups R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 7 , is a point of attachment, directly or via a tethering group, to a polymer or a solid phase support; provided that when the ammoniating agent is ammonia, the composition comprising the complex further comprises a base; whereby the leaving group of the arylating agent is substituted by an amino group to form the aromatic primary amine.