Carbon-carbon bond formation catalyzed by PEPPSI Pd-NHC

[Display omitted] •New PEPPSI Pd-NHC complexes (3–7) were efficiently synthesized and characterized.•These complexes were tested in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction as catalysts.•Biaryl products were obtained in moderate yields in the presence of catalysts 3–7. Five new palladium complexes were efficiently synthesized from the reaction of benzimidazolium salts, potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and palladium chloride (PdCl2) in pyridine (for 3–5) or 3-chloropyridine (for 6 and 7). The synthesized complexes were characterized and tested in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction as catalysts. In the presence of catalysts 3–7, biaryl products were obtained in moderate yields when phenylboronic acid was used as boronic acid derivative. However, the coupling of thianaphthene-2-boronic acid with 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene generated low yields although a longer period of time was used in comparison to the coupling of phenylboronic acid with aryl chlorides.