This invention provides a process for conducting Stille
coupling reactions. The processes of the present invention make use of N-heterocyclic carbenes as ancillary ligands in Stille couplings of
aryl halides. A Stille
coupling can be carried out by mixing, in a
liquid medium, at least one strong base; at least one
aryl halide or
aryl pseudohalide in which all substituents are other than stannyl groups, wherein the
aryl halide has, directly bonded to the aromatic ring(s), at least one
halogen atom selected from the group consisting of a
chlorine atom, a
bromine atom, and an
iodine atom; at least one organotin compound wherein the
tin atom is
quaternary, wherein one group bound to the
tin atom is unsaturated at the alpha or beta position, and wherein each of the remaining groups bound to the
tin atom is a saturated group; at least one
metal compound comprising at least one
metal atom selected from
nickel,
palladium, and
platinum, wherein the formal
oxidation state of the
metal is zero or two; and at least one N-heterocyclic
carbene. One preferred type of N-heterocyclic
carbene is an imidazoline-2-ylidene of the formulawherein R1 and R2 are each, independently,
alkyl or aryl groups having at least 3 carbon atoms, R3 and R4 are each, independently, a
hydrogen atom, a
halogen atom, or a hydrocarbyl group.