Process for preparing aromatic olefins

A process for preparing monofunctional, difunctional, or polyfunctional aromatic olefins by reaction of haloaromatics with olefins, wherein said reaction is carried out at temperatures of 20.degree. to 220.degree. C. in the presence of catalysts of the formula

• ›L.sub.a Pd.sub.b X.sub.c !.sup.n A.sub.n (I)
• wherein the X's are monodentate or multidentate, charged or uncharged ligands bound to palladium as a central atom;
• and L, which is bound as a ligand to said central atom, is at least one monocarbene selected from the group consisting of ##STR11## or at least one dicarbene selected from the group comprising ##STR12## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 are individually straight or branched chain, sulfonated or unsulfonated alkyl radicals having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, sulfonated or unsulfonated aliphatic monocyclic or polycyclic radicals having 5 to 18 carbon atoms;
• sulfonated or unsulfonated alkenyl radicals having 2 to 5 carbon atoms;
• sulfonated or unsulfonated aryl radicals having 6 to 14 carbon atoms;
• or sulfonated or unsulfonated arylalkyl radicals having 7 to 19 carbon atoms;
• R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, and R.sup.6 may also be hydrogen, R.sup.3 together with R.sup.4, and R.sup.5 together with R.sup.6, may individually be fused and sulfonated or unsulfonated radicals having 3 to 7 carbon atoms;
• R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.4, or R.sup.6 can form a ring with ligands X, Y is a saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched chain alkylidene having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, dialkylsilylene- or tetraalkyldisilylene;
• A is a singly charged anion or the chemical equivalent of a multiply charged anion;
• b is an integer from 1 to 3;
• a is an integer from 1 to 4 times b, c=O or an integer from 1 to 4 times b, and n=O or an integer from 1 to 6.