Easily prepared air- and moisture-stable Pd-NHC (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes: a reliable, user-friendly, highly active palladium precatalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction.

The synthesis of NHC-PdCl(2)-3-chloropyridine (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes from readily available starting materials in air is described. The 2,6-diisopropylphenyl derivative was found to be highly catalytically active in alkyl-alkyl Suzuki and Negishi cross-coupling reactions. The synthesis, ease-of-use, and activity of this complex are substantial improvements over in situ catalyst generation and all current Pd-NHC complexes. The utilization of complex 4 led to the development of a reliable, easily employed Suzuki-Miyama protocol. Employing various reaction conditions allowed a large array of hindered biaryl and drug-like heteroaromatic compounds to be synthesized without difficulty.