Abstract: A new air-stable and water-soluble imine ligand (I) has been synthesized and its single crystal structure has been characterized. This N,O-bidentate ligand, with the possible hemilability and the property of green chemistry, is efficient in the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling of aryl bromide and aryl-boronic acid at room temperature in aqueous ethanol. Under the optimized reaction conditions (i.e., n(ArBr) = 0.5 mmol, n(ArB(OH)₂) = 0.75 mmol, x(PdCl₂) = 1%, x(I) = 2 mol%, n(K₂CO₃) = 1.0 mmol, and c(EtOH) = 50% aqueous solu-tion), a 99% isolated yield of the product was obtained in 20 min.

Key words: Suzuki reaction, cross-coupling, imine ligand, palladium, aqueous media