A Simple Synthetic Route to Well-Defined [Pd(NHC)Cl(1-tBu-indenyl)] Pre-catalysts for Cross-Coupling Reactions

The development of robust, more efficient, general, easily accessible Pd(II)–NHC pre-catalysts remains a key issue in cross-coupling applications. A selection of well-defined, air and moisture stable [Pd(NHC)Cl(1-tBu-indenyl)] (NHC=IPr, IPrCl, IMes, SIMes, IPr*) pre-catalysts have been synthesized in good to excellent yields by reacting [Pd(1-tBu-indenyl)(μ-Cl)]2 and various NHC⋅HCl precursors in the presence of the weak base K2CO3 in green acetone. The synthesized Pd(II)-NHC derivatives displayed excellent catalytic activity in classical Suzuki-Miyaura and Buchwald–Hartwig reactions, especially when IPrCl is employed as ancillary ligand. Additionally, in the challenging Suzuki-Miyaura reaction between esters and arylboronic acids, the [Pd(IPr*)Cl(1-tBu-indenyl)] complex exhibited the optimum catalytic activity under very mild reaction conditions.