Microwave‐Promoted Copper‐Free Sonogashira–Hagihara Couplings of Aryl Imidazolylsulfonates in Water

Aryl imidazol‐1‐ylsulfonates have been efficiently cross‐coupled with aryl‐, alkyl‐, and silylacetylenes in neat water under copper‐free conditions at 110 °C assisted by microwave irradiation. Using 0.5 mol% of an oxime palladacycle as precatalyst, 2‐dicyclohexylphosphino‐2′,6′‐dimethoxybiphenyl (SPhos, 2 mol%) as ligand, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as additive, and triethylamine (TEA) as base, a wide array of disubstituted alkynes has been prepared in good to high yields in only 30 min.