Abstract An improved method for the direct oxidative coupling of o-xylene could provide streamlined access to an important monomer used in polyimide resins. The use of 2- fluoropyridine as a ligand has been found to enable unprecedented levels of chemo-and regioselectivity in this palladium-catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling reaction. Preliminary insights have been obtained into the origin of the effectiveness of 2-fluoropyridine as a ...
