Conditions for an efficient ligand-free Heck C-C coupling reaction of aryl iodides and bromides with terminal olefins under aerobic conditions have been developed. Critical to the success of this new protocol is the use of palladium acetate as an extremely active catalyst for the Heck reaction in water and aqueous media. Both the base and the solvent were found to have a fundamental influence on the efficiency of the reaction, with K2CO3 and a mixture of (2 : 1) H2O/DMSO being the optimal base and solvent, respectively.