A highly practical and general route for α-arylations of ketones using bis-phosphinoferrocene-based palladium catalysts

Well-defined, air-stable Pd complexes of bis-phosphinoferrocene family of catalysts have been studied in the arylation of various ketones with aryl chlorides and aryl bromides. Bis(di-tert-butyl)phosphinoferrocene (DtBPF)-based catalysts such as (DtBPF) PdCl2 and (DtBPF)PdBr2 have been identified as two of the most active catalysts for the alpha-arylation of a model reaction involving propiophenone and 4-chlorotoluene. The scope of the (DtBPF)PdCl2 catalyst has been efficiently expanded to the arylation of various ketones with aryl chlorides and bromides with up to 97% isolated yields, under relatively mild reaction conditions at low catalyst loadings. The efficacy of the (DtBPF)PdCl2 catalyst was demonstrated at very low catalyst loadings with SIC 10,000 for the difficult aryl bromide, 4-bromoanisole, and 2000 for the electron-neutral aryl chloride, 4-chlorotoluene, on similar to 10-g scale with excellent isolated yields and lower Pd in the product (6 and 48 ppm, respectively). Comparative studies on the Pd:DtBPF molar ratios between in situ catalysts and preisolated catalysts revealed that preisolated (DtBPF)PdX2 (X = Cl, Br) are the catalysts of choice due to various practical reasons.