Late metal amide complexes are known to effect C–N bond formation due to their strong nucleophilicity. However, this reactivity has not been widely applied to catalytic reactions. Our research aims to use the reactivity of late metal amide complexes – their nucleophilicity and ability to exchange with free amines via proton transfer – to develop a catalytic cycle for the coupling of ammonia and carbon electrophiles. A series of late metal amide complexes incorporating previously reported chelating amido-phosphine ligands of varying electronic and steric properties has been proposed for this purpose. The synthesis and characterization of these complexes, specifically the preparation of the bidentate ligands, will be presented.