Synthesis of Water-Soluble Phosphine Oxides by Pd/C-Catalyzed P-C Coupling in Water

Cross-coupling between diphenylphosphine oxide and halogenated benzoic acids catalyzed by Pd/C in water is a green, simple, and fast protocol to obtain water-soluble tertiary phosphine oxides without the addition of ligands and additives. Low reaction times and microwave irradiation make this method general and excellent for laboratory and large-scale synthesis without the need to use organic solvents in reactions and workup.