A Versatile System of Solvent, Catalyst, and Ligand for Challenging Biphenyl Synthesis Through Suzuki‐Miyaura Reactions

Suzuki‐Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions are difficult when both reaction partners (boronic acid and halide) are electron‐poor. We describe here a system of solvent, catalyst, and ligand with which also electron‐poor substrates react, without the necessity to try several conditions. The system consists of N‐methylpyrrolidone as solvent, tris(dibenzylidenaceton)dipalladium(0) as catalyst, CuI as cocatalyst, and Davephos as ligand. This combination yields little or no Ullmann product, and the desired cross‐coupling product is in moderate to excellent yields.