Ligand effects on the stereochemical outcome of Suzuki-Miyaura couplings.

The ligands associated with various Pd catalysts play a crucial role in determining the stereochemistry of cross-couplings between boronic acids and Z-alkenyl halides. A ligand on palladium has been found that leads to the desired products under mild conditions and in high yields that, in most cases, retain their Z-olefin geometry.