Studies on the catalytic ability of palladium wire, foil and sponge in the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling

► Metallic palladium (wire, foil and sponge) efficiently catalyses the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction in ethanol/water mixture in air. ► Each type of catalyst is a commercial product. ► Reactions between different aryl bromides and arylboronic acids always afford quantitative yields of biphenyls. ► In the case of Pd wire, the catalyst can be recovered and recycled several times without loss of activity.