Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions

Sustainable chemical processes are becoming increasingly important in all fields of synthetic chemistry. Catalysis can play an important role in developing environmentally benign chemical processes, and transition metals have an important role to play in the area of green chemistry. In particular, palladium(II) catalysis includes many key features for successful green chemistry methods, as demonstrated by a number of eco-friendly oxidation reactions catalyzed by palladium(II). The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to develop novel and greener palladium(II)-catalyzed coupling reactions. In striving to achieve this aim, the first open-vessel, room-temperature palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative Heck reaction, using oxygen from the air as the reoxidant of palladium, was developed. In a further investigation of the palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative Heck reaction, base-free conditions for the transformation were identified and suitable conditions for microwave-assisted oxidative Heck reactions were established. A convenient and low-cost palladium(II)-catalyzed method for the synthesis of styrene derivatives, by coupling arylboranes with vinyl acetate, was developed. The reaction mechanism was studied using ESI-MS, which enabled the detection of cationic palladium intermediates in ongoing productive reactions, and a plausible catalytic cycle was proposed. In an attempt to make the oxidative Heck and the styrene synthesis reactions more attractive from an industrial point of view, conditions for continuous flow synthesis were identified. The results were generally good and rapid synthesis of the desired products was obtained. The first palladium(II)-catalyzed C–P bond-forming Hirao-type reaction, employing arylboranes instead of the commonly used aryl halides, was developed. An ESI-MS study was performed, and a plausible catalytic pathway was suggested. Finally, a novel method for synthesizing aryl ketones from benzoic acids and nitriles, via palladium(II)-catalyzed decarboxylation of the benzoic acids, was established. Further, the reaction mechanism was studied by ESI-MS and a plausible catalytic route presented