CHAPTER 2. Prominent Ligand Types in Modern Cross-Coupling Reactions

Pivotal to the evolution and success of Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions has been the development of supporting ligands that give rise to highly active catalysts. This chapter summarizes the theory, development and catalytic applications of the most prominent ligand families that are prevalent in modern cross-coupling processes. Special emphasis was placed on providing up-to-date information on several ligand characteristics such as cone angle, bite angle and basicity/nucleophilicity and their roles in the design of catalyst systems that have become the state of the art in challenging cross-coupling reactions.