Sulfonated, water-soluble imidazolium and imidazolinium salts were synthesized and the respective Pd-complexes with N,N'-bis(2,6-dialkyl-4-SO(3)(-)-phenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene and N,N'-bis(2,6-dialkyl-4-SO(3)(-)-phenyl)-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene ligands were applied in aqueous Suzuki coupling reactions of aryl chlorides.