Palladium/Imidazolium salt as a versatile catalyst for sequential coupling reactions of aryl dihalides to unsymmetrically substituted arenes

A simple method for one-pot sequential Heck/Suzuki coupling reactions of a range of substituted aryl dihalides has been described. The Pd(OAc)2/imidazolium system catalyzed double coupling reactions proceed without isolation of the intermediates giving unsymmetrically polysubstituted biphenyls in good to excellent yields. Further couplings of the resultant products bearing additional C-Cl bonds with substituted arylboronic acids or amines lead to unsymmetrical terphenyls and aminobiphenyl derivatives.