Atomically precise palladium nanocluster catalyzed tandem oxidation processes of alcohols and phosphorous ylides: Facile access to α,β-unsaturated esters

Abstract

The mesoporous silica nanosphere supported palladium nanocluster was synthesized through a simple impregnation method and well characterized. The as prepared catalyst shows excellent catalytic performance in tandem oxidation process (TOP) of alcohol and phosphorous ylide, which provides an efficient access to α,β-unsaturated esters with high yields utilizes 1 atmosphere of molecular oxygen as sole oxidant. This work represents the first example of atomically precise palladium nanocluster catalyzed tandem oxidation process of alcohol and phosphorous ylide and is expected to open new horizons for nanoclusters in the tandem reactions.