The orthometalated complex [{Pd(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-Cl){
2-
P,
C-P(OC
6H
2-2,4-
tBu
2)(OC
6H
3-2,4-
tBu
2)
2}}
2]reacts with phenylboronic acid hydrate and K
2CO
3 in dimethylacetamide to give [Pd{
2-
P,
C-
2-
O-P(O)(C
6H
2-2,4-
tBu
2)(C
6H
3-2,4-
tBu
2)(DMAc)}]. When the reaction is repeated indimethylformamide 3,3',5,5'-tetra-
tert-butyl-2,2'-biphenol is isolated. Both compounds havebeen characterized crystallographically. The reaction of palladium dichloride with P
iPr
2(OC
6H
4-4-Et) in 2-methoxyethanol followed by recrystallization in the presence of ethanolleads to the formation of
trans-[PdCl
2{P
iPr
2(OEt)}
2], which was also characterized bycrystallography. To determine whether related solvolytic processes have a bearing on catalyticactivity, the performance of a range of catalysts with "hydrolyzed" and "nonhydrolyzed"ligands was assessed in the Suzuki coupling of aryl bromides. In some cases it was evidentthat hydrolysis plays a significant role on the catalytic activity; however, this depends notonly on the ligand, but also on the combination of ligand and palladium precursor.