Nanocrystalline magnesium oxide-stabilized palladium(0): the Heck reaction of heteroaryl bromides in the absence of additional ligands and baseElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c3cy00404j

An efficient and user-friendly protocol has been realized for the Heck reaction of heteroaryl bromides by using a reusable nanocrystalline magnesium oxide-stabilized palladium(0) catalyst without the aid of additional ligands and base. Dimethylamine generated under in situ conditions by the decomposition of DMF serves as the base in this reaction. The catalyst was reused with consistent activity up to four cycles. A Heck reaction of heteroaryl bromides has been performed in the absence of additional ligands and base using a heterogeneous catalyst resulting in good to excellent yields.