Zinc chloride-promoted aryl bromide-alkyne cross-coupling reactions at room temperature.

Substoichiometric amounts of ZnCl(2) promote the room temperature, Pd/P(t-Bu)(3)-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl bromides with alkynes. Pd(I) dimer 1 is demonstrated to be a particularly active precatalyst for this reaction. The reaction is general for a wide variety of aryl bromides.