The first cross-coupling reaction between vinylalkoxysilanes and aryl bromides or chlorides promoted by aqueous sodium hydroxide under fluoride-free conditions to provide styrenes is reported. The reaction is catalyzed by palladium(II) acetate or a 4-hydroxyacetophenone oxime-derived palladacycle either under thermal or microwave heating at 120 8C with low catalyst loading (0.01-1 mol % of palladium) in the presence of tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) as additive in air. In the case of styryltriethoxysilane, the coupling with aryl or vinyl bromides takes place stereospecifically to give the corresponding stilbenes or dienes, respectively. These mild and simple reaction conditions prevent undesirable polymerization of the products.

Potassium aryltrifluoroborates are cross-coupled with aryl and heteroaryl chlorides using a 4-hydroxyacetophenone oxime-derived palladacycle as precatalyst, K2CO3 as base, and TBAB as additive in refluxing water under conventional and microwave heating affording the corresponding biphenyls under phosphine-free conditions. For the arylation of allyl and benzyl chlorides, KOH is used as base in acetone-water (3:2) at rt or 50 degrees C using 0.1 mol % Pd loading providing allylbenzenes and diarylmethanes, respectively.

Fluoride-free cross-coupling reactions of alkenyltrialkoxysilanes with aryl iodides, bromides, and chlorides are performed on water using sodium hydroxide as activator at 120 degrees C under normal or microwave heating. This process occurs in the presence of Pd(OAc)(2) or 4-hydroxyacetophenone oxime-derived palladacycle 1 as precatalysts under ligand-free conditions with low Pd loadings (0.01-1 mol %) and using tetra-n-butylammonium bromide as additive. Different commercially available vinylalkoxylsilanes can be cross-coupled under these reaction conditions to the corresponding styrenes, the best substrates being vinyltrimethoxy- or vinyltriethoxysilane. Alkenyltriethoxysilanes, prepared by Wilkinson-catalyzed hydrosilylation of alkynes with triethoxysilane, are stereospecifically arylated with aryl and vinyl halides under microwave irradiation in moderate to high beta/alpha regioselectivity affording unsymmetrical stilbenes, alkenylbenzenes, and conjugate dienes, respectively. This simple procedure allows the palladium recycling from the aqueous phase during three runs by extractive separation of the products, which contain very low levels of Pd (21-27.5 ppm for an aryl iodide and up to 76 ppm for a bromide).

Our review critically presents the main achievements, advantages, and limitations of oxime palladacycles as high-turnover catalysts for Heck, as well as homo- and cross-coupling reactions such as Suzuki-Miyaura, Stille, Ullmann-type, Cassar-Heck-Sonogashira, sila-Sonogashira, Glaser-type, Hiyama, and alkoxycarbonylation reactions. New developments in this area are reviewed from a mechanistic and synthetic point of view. The role of oxime palladacycles as a source of highly active zero-valent palladium species is also discussed.

Potassium vinyl and alkenyltrifluoroborates are cross-coupled with aryl and heteroaryl bromides using 1 mol % Pd loading of 4-hydroxyacetophenone oxime derived palladacycle or Pd(OAc)2 as precatalysts, K2CO3 as base, and TBAB as additive and water reflux under conventional or microwave heating to afford styrenes, stilbenoids, and alkenylbenzenes. These borates can be cross-coupled diastereoselectively with allyl and benzyl chlorides using KOH as base in acetone-water (3:2) at 50 degrees C and 0.1 mol % Pd loading, giving the corresponding 1,4-dienes and allylarenes, respectively. These simple phosphine-free reaction conditions allow the palladium recycling from the aqueous phase during up to five runs by extractive separation of the products, which contain 58-105 ppm of Pd.