Mixed phosphine/N-heterocyclic carbene palladium complexes: synthesis, characterization and catalytic use in aqueous Suzuki-Miyaura reactions.

A series of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)/PR3 palladium(II) and palladium(0) complexes has been synthesized and fully characterized. X-ray crystallographic data have allowed comparison of ligand steric properties. The NHC ligand was found to vary its steric properties as a function of the phosphine co-ligand. These complexes display interesting catalytic properties in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction performed in aqueous media. The pre-catalyst [PdCl2(IPr)(XPhos)] (IPr = N,N'-bis-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene; XPhos = 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2',4',6'-triisopropylbiphenyl) was found to be the most efficient system, promoting the coupling of a wide range of aryl chlorides with boronic acids in aqueous media with a typical catalyst loading of 0.03 mol%.

Room-temperature activation of aryl chlorides in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling using a [Pd(micro-Cl)Cl(NHC)]2 complex (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene).

A straightforwardly synthesised complex, [Pd(micro-Cl)Cl(NHC)](2) (NHC = bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene, IPr), has been employed to mediate Suzuki-Miyaura reactions involving aryl chlorides at very low catalyst loadings and at room temperature.