Comparison between polyethylenglycol and imidazolium ionic liquids as solvents for developing a homogeneous and reusable palladium catalytic system for the Suzuki and Sonogashira coupling

The thermal stability of a palladium complex has been assessed in different green solvents. The catalytic activity of the complex for the Suzuki and Sonogashira couplings increases with the degree of stability, being polyethyleneglycol (PEG) the solvent of choice. A reusable, homogeneous PEG-Pd system has been developed.