A convenient phosphine-free palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of thiazole under mild aerobic conditions

•A series of bulky aniline palladium complexes were synthesized.•The application of the direct arylation of thiazoles with aryl bromides was explored.•The catalytic system showed high activity at a low palladium of 0.5–0.05 mol% under aerobic conditions.

A series of bulky amine palladium complexes {[(Ar-NH2)2PdCl2]} were synthesized and characterized. The catalytic activity of the palladium complexes was evaluated via the direct C–H arylation of thiazoles with aryl bromides in aerobic conditions at 80–100 °C. Under the optimal conditions, 0.5–0.05 mol% of the bulky palladium complexes were found to be very efficient and produced the desired cross-coupling products in high yields.

Graphical abstractA series of bulky aniline palladium complexes were synthesized and characterized, which exhibited significantly activities for direct arylation of thiazoles with aryl bromides.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide