Sulfonamide compounds have attracted considerable attention in medicinal and synthetic chemistry due to their diverse biological activities, distinctive reactivity, and potential pharmaceutical value. In this work, a mild and efficient method that requires no external photosensitizer was developed to achieve the C(sp²)-N coupling of aryl halides with sulfonamide compounds under irradiation from 390-395 nm LEDs, catalyzed by an earth-abundant nickel catalyst. The method employs readily available nickel as the catalyst and soluble organic amines as bases, offering advantages such as easily accessible starting materials, mild reaction conditions, simple operation, broad substrate scope, and excellent functional-group tolerance. It can also be applied to late-stage modification of bioactive molecules. Even on the gram scale, the reaction maintains high efficiency and yield, providing a practical alternative route for the synthesis of important aryl sulfonamides. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction may proceed through a Ni(I)-Ni(III) catalytic cycle.

Key words: Photocatalysis, Nickel Catalysis, Aryl Halides, C-N Coupling Reaction