Development of a palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative cross-coupling of (2-azaaryl)carboxylates with aryl halides.

A catalytic method for the decarboxylative coupling of 2-(azaaryl)carboxylates with aryl halides is described. The decarboxylative cross-coupling presented is mediated by a system catalytic in both palladium and copper without requiring stoichiometric amounts of organometallic reagents or organoboronic acids. This method circumvents additional synthetic steps required to prepare 2-azaaryl organometallics and organoborates as nucleophilic coupling partners, which are prone to protodemetallation and protodeborylation and produce potentially toxic byproducts.