Palladium-phosphinous acid-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl and acyl halides with aryl-, alkyl-, and vinylzinc reagents

Several palladium-phosphinous acids have been prepared and employed in cross-coupling reactions of aryl or acyl halides with aliphatic and aromatic organozinc reagents. The POPd7-catalyzed reaction of aryl halides, including electron-rich aryl chlorides, and arylzinc reagents was found to afford biaryls exhibiting alkoxy, alkylthio, amino, ketone, cyano, nitro, ester, and heteroaryl groups in 75-93% yield. Excellent results were obtained with sterically hindered substrates which gave di- and tri -ortho-substituted biaryls in up to 92% yield. Aryl halides also undergo POPd7-catalyzed aryl-vinyl and aryl-alkyl bond formation under mild conditions. Styrenes and alkylarenes were prepared in 79-93% yield from aryl halides and vinyl or alkylzinc reagents. The replacement of aryl halides by acyl halides provides access to ketones which were produced in up to 98% yield when POPd was used as catalyst. This approach overcomes the limited substrate scope, reduced regiocontrol, and low functional group tolerance of traditional Friedel-Crafts acylation methods.