Microwave-Promoted Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Aryl Imidazolylsulfonates in Water

Aryl imidazol-1-ylsulfonates are efficiently cross-coupled with potassium aryl- and alkenyltrifluoroborates in neat water under microwave heating (40 W, 110?degrees C) using 0.5 mol% of oxime palladacycle 1a, hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as additive, and triethylamine as base. Under these simple phosphane-free reaction conditions a wide array of biaryl, stilbene and styrene derivatives has been prepared in good to high yields and with high regio- and diastereoselectivities in only 30 min.