Tetranuclear N-Heterocyclic Carbene Palladium Acetate—The Fast-Initiating Precatalyst of Suzuki Coupling

A tetranuclear N-heterocyclic palladium carbene acetate, characterised by a [Pd]/[NHC] = 2/1 ratio, was synthesised and shown to be catalytically active in Suzuki coupling. Single crystal XRD studies of the complex revealed its unprecedented geometry, with the presence of three coordinated palladium centres. The catalytic activity of the complex is significantly higher than that of analogues containing the same N-heterocyclic carbene ligand. Preliminary studies have been carried out to determine the catalytic properties of the complex.