Orthopalladated and -platinated bulky triarylphosphite complexes: synthesis, reactivity and application as high-activity catalysts for Suzuki and Stille coupling reactions.

Bulky triarylphosphite ligands undergo facile orthometallation reactions with palladium and platinum precursors. The crystal structure of an example of the resultant palladacycles has been determined. The reactivity of some of the metallacycles with HCl, monodentate and bidentate phosphines and sodium diethyldithiocarbamate has been investigated, and the crystal structure of a diethyldithiocarbamate adduct of a palladacycle is presented. The palladacyclic complexes prove to be extremely active catalysts for the Suzuki coupling of aryl bromides with aryl boronic acids. They can also be used as catalysts for the coupling of alkylboronic acids. Meanwhile di- and trialkyl phosphine adducts of one of the palladacycles shows very high activity in the Suzuki coupling of aryl chlorides and can also be used to good effect for the Stille coupling of these substrates. The role of the phosphite ligand in the Suzuki coupling of aryl chlorides seems to be one of increasing catalyst longevity by stabilisation of the Pd(0) resting state.