On the Amine-Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling Using a Catalysis-Based Fluorometric Method

The Suzuki-Miyaura coupling is one of the most frequently used reactions in organic synthesis. Recent work by others suggested that an arylamine, prepared by palladium catalysis and tricyclohexylphosphine, could catalyze Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions without transition metals. Herein, we used a fluorometric quantification method for palladium previously developed in our laboratory to unambiguously conclude that there is a correlation between the palladium content in the arylamine and the rate of a Suzuki-Miyaura coupling. Also, our mass spectroscopic analysis of the arylamine revealed the presence of a palladium-phosphine complex. When Pd(OAc)₂ was used as a catalyst for the same Suzuki-Miyaura coupling, tricyclohexylphosphine was detrimental to the coupling and that the arylamine played negligible role. This study demonstrates the utility of the fluorometric technology for catalysis research.