C(acyl)-C(sp) and C(sp)-C(sp) Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions using nitrile-functionalized NHC palladium complexes.

Application of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) palladium complexes has been successful for the modulation of C-C coupling reactions. For this purpose, a series of azolium salts (1a-f) including benzothiazolium, benzimidazolium, and imidazolium, bearing a CN-substituted benzyl moiety, and their (NHC)PdBr (2a-c) and PEPPSI-type palladium (3b-f) complexes have been systematically prepared to catalyse acylative Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction of acyl chlorides with arylboronic acids to form benzophenone derivatives in the presence of potassium carbonate as a base and to catalyse the traditional Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction of bromobenzene with arylboronic acids to form biaryls. All the synthesized compounds were fully characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and H and C NMR spectroscopies.