Synergistic Ligand Effects in Palladium Catalysis

Oxidation is an important reaction, often requiring strong oxidising agents. The drawbacks of such compounds is that they react violently, hence presenting a hazard, and not allowing selective oxidation. A green alternative to such compounds is molecular oxygen. We have developed Pd systems allowing the efficient oxidation of alcohols using molecular oxygen, under mild conditions. In addition, we isolated an intermediate species, which gives us information on the mechanism of this reaction, and hence allows the development of more active systems.
On the other hand, Pd catalysts were developed for the hydrogenation of multiple bonds. This is often carried out using molecular hydrogen, which is a highly flammable gas. We developed 2 systems enabling the efficient reduction of multiple bonds without using H2 gas, but using safer hydrogen sources that are ammonia borane and formic acid. These catalyst systems are not only greener but also highly efficient and selective.