Dedicated to Ms. Gailian Xiao
A novel and efficient catalyst system was developed for homocoupling reactions of
aryl halides. The catalyst system consists of Pd(OAc)2 and the peppery sensory component of tobacco leaves. This is the first time that
a sensory component has been used in an organic reaction. Experiments using the catalyst
system showed that the reactions proceeded smoothly under air in the absence of both
an additional ligand and a reductant. Furthermore, the catalyst system can be applied
to the coupling reactions of hetaryl iodides. Many functional groups (including a
hydroxy group) are tolerated.
Key words
palladium catalyst - sensory component - homocoupling - aryl halides - biaryls