A Novel Pyridine‐Bridged Bis‐benzimidazolylidene Pincer Palladium Complex: Synthesis and Catalytic Properties

A novel pyridine‐bridged bis‐benzimidazolylidene CNC pincer complex 1 was synthesized from cheap, commercially available precursors under microwave assistance in moderate yield. It catalyzes cross‐coupling reactions of aryl halides with alkyl acrylates (Heck reaction) and phenylboronic acid (Suzuki reaction) under aerobic conditions with extremely high turn‐over numbers (frequencies) indicating that a planar extension of the π‐system by benzannelation significantly increases the catalytic activity even with trace amounts of catalyst loading.