Active Palladium Colloids via Palladacycle Degradation as Efficient Catalysts for Oxidative Homocoupling and Cross-Coupling of Aryl Boronic Acids

Active palladium colloids formed upon degradation of a palladacyclic complex (Herrmann-Beller 1) have been isolated for the first time and thoroughly characterized with techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The synthesized palladium colloids have been utilized as efficient catalysts for the oxidative homocoupling of aryl boronic acids. Cross-coupling of two different aryl boronic acids has also been made possible using these active palladium colloids. This is the first report of this kind of coupling between aryl boronic acids.