The palladium-catalyzed amidation of electron-deficient aryl chlorides proceeds readily in the presence of low CO pressures and a slight excess of an iodide salt. The rates of amidation are accelerated over those without added salt, and iodide is preferred over bromide or chloride. More electron-rich aryl chlorides were not effectively amidated, either with or without added iodide. We postulate that an intermediate anionic palladium(0) iodide complex is responsible for the enhanced reactivity.
