Palladium/1,3-bis(ferrocenylmethy)imidazolinium chloride catalyst for Suzuki cross-coupling reactions

We describe here the first results of catalytic performance of in situ prepared [Pd(O2CCH3)2] / 1,3-bis(ferrocenylmethy)imidazolinium chloride involving a saturated imidazole ring were successfully employed to Suzuki cross-coupling reactions of different aryl bromides (bromobenzene, 2-bromobenzonitrile, 2-bromotoluene, p-bromobenzaldehyde, p-bromoacetophenone, p-bromoanisole, p-bromotoluene and p-bromobenzotrifluoride) with phenylboronic acid under the optimum conditions. Optimum conditions were choosed, as 24 h, 80 oC, K2CO3 as base, dioxane as solvent, 1,3-bis(ferrocenylmethy)imidazolinium chloride as auxiliary ligand. Under these optimum conditions, 2- bromobenzonitrile, p-bromoacetophenone and p- bromobenzaldehyde react with phenyl boronic acid in moderate yields 57%, 50%, and 46% respectively. Catalytic experiments showed that [Pd(O2CCH3)2] / 1,3-bis(ferrocenylmethy)imidazolinium chloride catalytic system was moderately effficent in the Suzuki cross coupling reaction of aryl bromides in dioxane.