Saponin: a green and efficient natural surfactant for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings of heteroaryl substrates in aqueous media at ambient conditions

Abstract

Herein, we report a commercially available natural saponin acting as a surfactant and serving as a micellar catalyst, enabling Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling effectively with highly challenging heteroaromatic substrates in water at room temperature. Utilizing this green and sustainable protocol, a broad spectrum of pyridine and pyrimidine substrates, and notably the notoriously unstable 2-pyridyl boronic acid were successfully cross-coupled in moderate to high yields.