Air- and moisture-stable Xantphos-ligated palladium dialkyl complex as a precatalyst for cross-coupling reactions.

Although xantphos has been employed in a variety of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, there has been little progress in developing Xantphos-ligated precatalysts. In this report, we describe a Xantphos-ligated palladium dialkyl complex that acts as a powerful precatalyst for C-N, C-S, and C-C cross-coupling reactions. This precatalyst is air- and moisture stable but can be thermally activated in the absence of external reagents. Additionally, potential catalyst inhibitors are not generated during the precatalyst activation. This complex thus represents a convenient alternative to previously reported classes of Xantphos-ligated precatalysts.