Cross-couplings of alkyl electrophiles under "ligandless" conditions: Negishi reactions of organozirconium reagents.

This report establishes that simple, "ligandless" palladium complexes can catalyze the first zirconium-Negishi reactions of alkyl electrophiles. In view of the attractiveness of ligandless catalysts (cost, simplicity, and ease of purification), these observations add a significant and intriguing new dimension to the development of effective palladium-based processes for coupling alkyl electrophiles.