Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) micro-spheres, a kind of commercially available polymeric material was treated with PdCl2 and formaldehyde giving a reagent with a palladium loading of 0.79 (wt.%). The Pd-PMMA catalyzed the highly efficient Heck and Suzuki reactions. The reactions can be performed under ligand-free conditions in an air atmosphere. The palladium catalyst is easily separated and can be reusable with negligible leaching of palladium. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.