Synthesis, characterization and the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions of N-heterocyclic carbene-Pd(II)-pyridine (PEPPSI) complexes

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are a significant and powerful class of ligands for transition metals. A new series of air and moisture-stable NHC-PdCl2-pyridine complexes, (2a-f), have been described. With the development of a more efficient catalytic system for the cross-coupling of aryl halides in mind, the catalytic performance of the NHC-PdCl2-pyridine complexes for Suzuki cross-coupling under mild conditions in aqueous N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was investigated. Electron-rich and electron-poor aryl chlorides were facilely coupled with boronic acids by NHC-PdCl2-pyridine complexes. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.