Oxidative Addition Step in Reactions Involving Palladium Activation of Carbon-Halogen and Carbon-Oxygen Bonds

Abstract

Different modifications of the Heck reaction involving the activation of carbon-halogen and carbon-oxygen bonds by palladium (styrene phenylation with iodobenzene or benzoic anhydride and iodobenzene carbonylation, reductive coupling, and reduction) are studied by in situ31P NMR spectroscopy. The catalytic cycles of the reactions include oxidative addition to Pd(0) formed in situ. The product composition in this step depends strongly on the composition of the reaction mixture, which is related to PhX conversion in the main catalytic process and with the nature of the catalyst precursor. A new hypothesis as to the mechanism of the catalytic cycle in alkene arylation in the presence of phosphine ligands is suggested. This hypothesis is consistent with NMR monitoring data and with the value of the kinetic isotope effect.