Convenient and rapid palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction between ferrocenylethyne and aryl iodides

An efficient copper-, amine- and phosphane-free catalyzed sonogashira cross-coupling reaction of aryl iodides with ferrocenylethyne by [Pd(dba)2] (dba = dibenzylideneacetone) has been developed. The reaction gave good yields of 1-ferrocenyl-2-arylacetylenes, which can be easily carried out at 80 °C for 1 h under a ballon pressure of argon by using t-BuOK as base and DMF-H2O (v/v = 4:1) as solvent.