Catalytic amounts of economically attractive [RuCl3(H2O)(n)] allow for direct arylations via C-H bond functionalization with aryl bromides under phosphine ligand-free reaction conditions. Thereby, a variety of functionalized (hetero)aryl bromides, bearing either electron-withdrawing or electron-releasing substituents, can be employed for direct arylations of pyridine, oxazoline, pyrazole, or ketimine derivatives as pronucleophiles. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.