Monosubstituted, Anionic Imidazolyl Ligands from N−H NHC Precursors and Their Activity in Pd‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling Reactions

We report that treatment of several 2-diphenylphosphinoimidazoles with Pd(II) salts generates monosubstituted N−H NHC−Pd complexes via insertion into the C−P bond. Removal of the N−H proton in situ leads to anionic (X-type) or imidazolyl-Pd complexes that are highly stable and catalytically active, achieving up to 340,000 turnovers at 1 ppm catalyst loading in Suzuki-Miyaura reactions. DFT-calculated Tolman electronic parameters for the sterically small ligands suggest that these ligands are significantly more donating than traditional NHCs, which provides a rationale for rapid cross-coupling catalysis. Excellent reactivity is also demonstrated in Sonogashira reactions.