The C-H activation of aryl amide using readily available Pd(OAc)(2) in the presence of selectfluor is reported. The highly mono-selective introduction of sp(2) hybridized functional groups have been realized. A broad range of aryl-, alkenyl- and keto-aryl amides were prepared using unactivated coupling partners under mild conditions. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.