Palladium catalysts

A catalyst compound of the formula I,

• 61
• wherein
• either
• (i) R1 and R2 together with R3 and R4 and R5 and R6, and together with the atoms to which they are bound, form an unsubstituted or substituted quinolylene ring system, while R7 and R8, independently of each other, are hydrogen or an organic group;
• or
• (ii) R3 and R4 together with R5 and R6 and R7 and 1%, and together with the atoms to which they are bound, form an unsubstituted or substituted naphthylene ring system, while R1 and R2, independently of each other, are H or an organic group;
• or
• (iii) R3 and R4 together with R5 and R6, and together with the atoms to which they are bound, form an unsubstituted or substituted phenylene ring, while R1, R2, R7 and R8, independently of each other, are H or an organic group;
• or
• (iv) R5 and R6, together with R7 and R8, and together with the atoms to which they are bound, form an unsubstituted or substituted phenylene ring, while R1, R2, R3 and R4, independently of each other, are H or an organic group;
• or
• (v) R1 and R2, together with R3 and R4, and together with the atoms to which they are bound form an unsubstituted or substituted pyridylene ring, while R5 and R6, together with R7 and R8, and together with the atoms to which they are bound, form an unsubstituted or substituted phenylene ring;
• with the proviso that where R1 and R2 do not form part of an unsubstituted or substituted quinolylene or pyridylene ring system they may, instead of each being hydrogen or an organic group, together form an unsubstituted or substituted alkylene that together with the binding nitrogen forms a ring;
• where the bonds represented by dotted lines in formula I together with the adjacent bonds in solid line in the case that they are part of a phenyl or pyridyl ring are delocated double bonds forming part of the phenyl or pyridyl ring, in case that they are not part of such a ring are absent;
• X is an anionic ligand;
• and L is a tertiary phosphine moiety.