Buchwald palladacycle precatalyst with new biaryl(dialkyl)phosphine ligand, VPhos, has an improved activity profile for the reductive coupling of non-aromatic heterocyclic alkyl bromides. Its combined use with a surfactant system of octanoic acid/sodium octanoate enables Negishi coupling and access to diverse C(sp
3)–C(sp
2) cross-coupled products.
