The development of versatile methods for palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions of aryl electrophiles through the use of P(t-Bu)3 and PCy3 as ligands.

Metal-catalyzed coupling reactions of aryl electrophiles with organometallics and with olefins serve as unusually effective tools for forming new carbon-carbon bonds. By 1998, researchers had developed catalysts that achieved reactions of aryl iodides, bromides, and triflates. Nevertheless, many noteworthy challenges remained; among them were couplings of aryl iodides, bromides, and triflates under mild conditions (at room temperature, for example), couplings of hindered reaction partners, and couplings of inexpensive aryl chlorides. This Account highlights some of the progress that has been made in our laboratory over the past decade, largely through the appropriate choice of ligand, in achieving these synthetic objectives. In particular, we have established that palladium in combination with a bulky trialkylphosphine accomplishes a broad spectrum of coupling processes, including Suzuki, Stille, Negishi, and Heck reactions. These methods have been applied in a wide array of settings, such as natural-product synthesis, materials science, and bioorganic chemistry.