Cyrene as a Bio-Based Solvent for the Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling

The Suzuki-Miyaura (SM) cross-coupling is the most broadly utilized Pd-catalyzed C-C bond-forming reaction in the chemical industry. A large proportion of SM couplings employ dipolar aprotic solvents; however, current sustainability initiatives and increasingly stringent regulations advocate the use of alternatives that exhibit more desirable properties. Here we describe the scope and utility of the bio-derived solvent Cyrene in SM cross-couplings and evaluate its suitability as a reaction medium for this benchmark transformation from discovery to gram scale.