Pd-Catalyzed and ligand-enabled alkene difunctionalization via unactivated C-H bond functionalization

Palladium-catalyzed and ligand-enabled C-H functionalization methods have emerged as a powerful approach for the preparation of therapeutically important motifs and complex natural products. Olefins, owing to their natural abundance, have been extensively employed for the formation of C-C and C-X bonds and the generation of various heterocycles. Traditionally, activated as well as starting materials with preinstalled functional groups, and also halide substrates under transition metal catalysis, have been employed for olefin difunctionalization. However, strategies for employing unactivated C-H bond functionalization to achieve alkene difunctionalization have rarely been explored. A possible solution to this challenge is the application of bulky ligands which enhances the reductive elimination pathway and inhibits β-hydride elimination to selectively yield difunctionalized alkene products. This feature article summarizes the utilization of unreactive C-H bonds in the Pd-catalyzed and ligand-enabled difunctionalization of alkenes.

Magic of Alpha: The Chemistry of a Remarkable Bidentate Phosphine, 1,2-Bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)benzene

The bidentate phosphine ligand 1,2-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)benzene (1,2-DTBPMB) has been reported over the years as being one of, if not the, best ligands for achieving the alkoxycarbonylation of various unsaturated compounds. Bonded to palladium, the ligand provides the basis for the first step in the commercial (Alpha) production of methyl methacrylate as well as very high selectivity to linear esters and acids from terminal or internal double bonds. The present review is an overview covering the literature dealing with the 1,2-DTBPMB ligand: from its first reference, its catalysis, including the alkoxycarbonylation reaction and its mechanism, its isomerization abilities including the highly selective isomerizing methoxycarbonylation, other reactions such as cross-coupling, recycling approaches, and the development of improved, modified ligands, in which some tert-butyl ligands are replaced by 2-pyridyl moieties and which show exceptional rates for carbonylation reactions at low temperatures.

Mechanistic insights into the palladium-catalyzed hydroaminocarbonylation of alkenes

This study gives insights into the ligand-controlled regioselectivity of the palladium catalyzed aminocarbonylation of alkenes with CO and ammonia.

Supported palladium catalyzed aminocarbonylation of aryl iodides employing bench-stable CO and NH3 surrogates

A simple, efficient and phosphine free protocol for carbonylative synthesis of primary aromatic amides under polystyrene supported palladium (Pd@PS) nanoparticle (NP) catalyzed conditions has been demonstrated. Herein, instead of using two toxic and difficult to handle gases simultaneously, we have employed the solid, economical, bench stable oxalic acid as the CO source and ammonium carbamate as the NH3 source in a single pot reaction. For the first time, we have applied two non-gaseous surrogates simultaneously under heterogeneous catalyst (Pd@PS) conditions for the synthesis of primary amides using an easy to handle double-vial (DV) system. The developed strategy showed a good functional group tolerance towards a wide range of aryl iodides and afforded primary aromatic amides in good yields. The Pd@PS catalyst was easy to separate and can be recycled up to four consecutive runs with small loss in catalytic activity. We have successfully extended the scope of the methodology to the synthesis of isoindole-1,3-diones from 1,2-dihalobenzene, 2-halobenzoates and 2-halobenzoic acid following double and single carbonylative cyclization approaches.

Selective Palladium-Catalyzed Aminocarbonylation of Olefins to Branched Amides

A general and efficient protocol for iso-selective aminocarbonylation of olefins with aliphatic amines has been developed for the first time. Key to the success for this process is the use of a specific 2-phosphino-substituted pyrrole ligand in the presence of PdX₂ (X=halide) as a pre-catalyst. Bulk industrial and functionalized olefins react with various aliphatic amines, including amino-acid derivatives, to give the corresponding branched amides generally in good yields (up to 99 %) and regioselectivities (b/l up to 99:1).