Abstract
The palladium‐catalyzed arylation of ethylene under aqueous conditions has been studied. Both NaHCO3‐soluble and ‐insoluble bromo‐and iodoarenes possessing electron‐withdrawing groups react with ethylene to afford styrenes in good yields by water‐soluble PdCl2[tppms]2 (tppms, m‐(diphenylphosphino)benzenesulfonate). The Cr(CO)3 complex of chlorobenzene reacts similarly under organic conditions. These reactions provide a synthetic route to poly(phenylenevinylenes).