Yingrui Song, Fen Wu, Giovanni Maestri, Didier Astruc, Yanlan Wang
Tripalladium cluster [Pd 3 ] + -1–3 (0.33 mol %) presented superior reactivity in the C–H arylation of imidazo[1,2- a ]pyridines and zolimidines with aryl halides compared to palladium monomers and nanoparticles, affording important imidazole[1,2- a ]pyridine and zolimidine derivatives that featured excellent fluorescent and pharmaceutical properties. This method highlights the low catalyst usage, mild conditions, scale-up practicality, and broad substrate scope. Mechanistic and kinetic analyses indicated that [Pd 3 ] + most likely remained intact throughout this synergistic catalytic process.