Heck reaction is a sort of classical methodology of the vinylation of aryl halides for the construction of new C—C bond. The new efficient catalysts for Heck reaction and the applications in whole synthesis of natural production have been developed greatly these years. In this paper, the recent progress in Heck coupling reaction including catalytic systems, asymmetric syntheses and applications in organic chemistry is reviewed.

Key words: palladium, application, catalysis, asymmetric synthesis, Heck reaction