A General and Practical Alternative to Polar Aprotic Solvents Exemplified on an Amide Bond Formation

A counter-intuitive observation has been made that addition of an organic solvent to a reaction mixture being used under micellar conditions is the key to success. This empirical approach has since proven to be particularly general in a variety of transformations, ranging from C-C cross-couplings (Heck, Sonogashira, Suzuki), oxidations, and reductions, thus providing a sustainable alternative to some of the undesirable solvents classically used.