Alkenes palladium-nitro complex catalysts

Secondary amines can be added to certain nonactivated alkenes if palladium(II) complexes are used as catalysts The complexation lowers the electron density of the double bond, facilitating nucleophilic attack. Markovnikov orientation is observed and the addition is anti An intramolecular addition to an alkyne unit in the presence of a palladium compound, generated a tetrahydropyridine, and a related addition to an allene is known.Amines add to allenes in the presence of a catalytic amount of CuBr " or palladium compounds.Molybdenum complexes have also been used in the addition of aniline to alkenes. Reduction of nitro compounds in the presence of rhodium catalysts, in the presence of alkenes, CO and H2, leads to an amine unit adding to the alkene moiety. An intramolecular addition of an amine unit to an alkene to form a pyrrolidine was reported using a lanthanide reagent. 

A novel insoluble green complex of palladium(II) and N,N -salicylideneethylenedi-amine (salen) functions as a selective heterogeneous catalyst, notably for the reduction of alkynes in the presence of alkenes, and of the latter in the presence of certain functional groups. E ciVEthylene from acetylene derivs. A soln. of startg. acetylene deriv. in EtOH hydrogenated for 17 min in the presence of the palladium(ll) complex (prepared from potassium tetrachloropalladate, salen, and triethylamine) cis-product. Y 100%. Reduction of alkenes is considerably slower however, terminal olefins may be reduced in the presence of internal olefins esters, oxo compds., dibenzyl ether, and iodobenzene were unaffected. F.e., also ar. amines from nitro compds. s. J.M. Kerr et al.. Tetrahedron Letters 29, 5545-48 (1988). 

Oxidation of alkenes to ketones. This palladium complex is an effective catalyst for air oxidation of 1-alkenes to methyl ketones in high yield via a nitro-nitrosyl redox couple. ... 

---