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Updated: Oct 31, 2025

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions
Published on: July 30, 2017
Sodium Butylated Hydroxytoluene: A Functional Group Tolerant, Eco-Friendly Base for Solvent-Free, Pd-Catalysed
Volodymyr Semeniuchenko1, Wilfried M Braje2, Michael G Organ1
1Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation (CCRI), Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N6N5, Canada.
Abstract:
NaBHT (sodium 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolate), a strong, but hindered and lipophilic base, has been effectively paired with similarly lipophilic, high-reactivity Pd-NHC (N-heterocyclic carbene) catalysts to produce an ideal combination for performing solvent-free (melt) cross-coupling amination. The mild nucleophilicity of NaBHT, coupled with the anti-oxidant properties of its conjugate acid byproduct, BHT means the process seems to have no functional group incompatibilities. Highly effective coupling of base-sensitive and redox-active functional groups was observed in all cases with only 0.1-0.2 mol percent catalyst. Comparisons using the standard base for this reaction, KOtBu, led to poor couplings or complete degradation in most applications - only NaBHT works.
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