[Pd(4-R3Si-IPr)(allyl)Cl]/K2CO3/EtOH: A highly effective catalytic system for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction

A series of R3Si-NHC-Pd complexes 1Pd-7Pd was successfully tested as a pre-catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of aryl chlorides and arylboronic acid derivatives to form a wide range of valuable biphenyl products. Use of the readily available weakly basic potassium carbonate as a base and the highly polar protic ethanol as the reaction solvent gave the target coupling products in good-to-excellent yields. The experimental data pointed to the crucial importance of the preliminary pre-catalyst activation step [i.e., the conversion of Pd(II) to Pd(0)], which is remarkably facilitated by the electron-donating trialkylsilyl groups on the NHC ligands of 1Pd–7Pd, thereby rendering them superior compared to the commercially available IPr-Pd complexes. Computational analysis revealed the mechanism of the Pd(II)→Pd(0) activation step, demonstrating the critical role of the reaction solvent and the base in the preference of our 1Pd–7Pd pre-catalysts, for which this step is both thermodynamically and kinetically more feasible.