Organometallic chemistry of 15-membered tri-olefinic macrocycles: catalysis by palladium(0) complexes in carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions

15-Membered macrocycles (E,E,E)-1,6,11-tris(arenesulfonyl)-1,6,11-triazacyclopentadeca-3,8,13-trienes (1) are prepared from arenesulfonamides and trans-1,4-dibromo-2-butene. Macrocycles 1 coordinate palladium(0), platinum(0), and silver(I). The palladium complexes are useful and reutilizable catalysts or precatalysts in Suzuki cross-couplings, butadiene telomerizations, hydroarylation of alkynes, and in the Heck reaction. Structurally related macrocycles are also available by similar synthetic procedures.