A palladium NNC-pincer complex at a 5 mol ppm loading efficiently catalyzed the Hiyama coupling reaction of aryl bromides with aryl(trialkoxy)silanes in propylene glycol to give the corresponding biaryls in excellent yields. This method was applied to the syntheses of adapalene and a biaryl-type liquid-crystalline compound, as well as to the derivatization of dextromethorphan and norfloxacin. ESI-MS and NMR analyses of the reaction mixture suggested the formation of pentacoordinate spirosilicate intermediates in situ. Preliminary theoretical studies revealed that the glycol-derived silicate intermediates formed in situ are quite reactive silicon reagents in the transmetalation step.
Keywords: Hiyama coupling reaction; alkoxysilanes; aryl bromides; aryltrialkoxysilanes; pincer complex; spirosilicates.
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