Three types of ligands have been developed for copper-catalyzed Ullmann cross coupling reaction of bromaminic acid with amines in aqueous solution. Ligands with large steric hindrance and strong electron-donating capacity were beneficial to the reaction. UV-Vis and CV analyses demonstrated that these ligands had strong coordination with copper(I), implying the effect of ligand coordination ability on the stability and catalytic activity of catalytic system. (C) 2016 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.