Abstract
Studies of the silyl-Heck reaction aimed at identifying active palladium complexes have revealed a new species that is formed in situ. This complex has been identified as the palladium iodide dimer, [(JessePhos)PdI(2)](2), which has been found to be a competent single-component precatalyst for the silyl-Heck reaction. This complex is easily prepared and is temperature, moisture, and air stable. Additionally, this precatalyst provides higher activity and greater reproducibility compared to previous systems.