Formation of XPhos-Ligated Palladium(0) Complexes and Reactivity in Oxidative Additions.

Understanding the nature of the intermediate species operating within a palladium catalytic cycle is crucial for developing efficient cross-coupling reactions. Even though the XPhos/Pd(OAc) catalytic system has found numerous applications, the nature of the active catalytic species remains elusive. A Pd complex ligated to XPhos has been detected and characterized in situ for the first time using cyclic voltammetry and NMR techniques.