0-Aryl complexes from organomercurials

Over 35 years ago, Richard F. Heck found that olefins can insert into the metal-carbon bond of arylpalladium species generated from organomercury compounds [1], The carbopalladation of olefins, stoichiometric at first, was made catalytic by Tsutomu Mizoroki, who coupled aryl iodides with ethylene under high pressure, in the presence of palladium chloride and sodium carbonate to neutralize the hydroiodic acid formed (Scheme 1) [2], Shortly thereafter, Heck disclosed a more general and practical procedure for this transformation, using palladium acetate as the catalyst and tri-w-butyl amine as the base [3], After investigations on stoichiometric reactions by Fitton et al. [4], it was also Heck who introduced palladium phosphine complexes as catalysts, enabling the decisive extension of the ole-fination reaction to inexpensive aryl bromides [5],... 

---