The influence of ring size (5 or 6), chain length (1, 2 or 3) and bulkiness of N-aryl substituents in amine-bridged bis(phenol) ligands (1-3) on palladium-catalyzed aqueous C-C coupling reactions were revealed. The homocoupling of arylboronic acid can be completed in neat water with the aid of a catalytic amount of p-toluenesulfonyl chloride (TsCl) in a very short time under anaerobic or aerobic conditions. Interestingly, the same catalytic system was efficient for Suzuki-Miyaura reaction in aqueous acetone under aerobic conditions in the absence of TsCl. The crystal structures of ligand 1 and three unsymmetrical fluorine-substituted biaryl derivatives were also reported.