Hydroesterification catalysts, palladium complexes

As mentioned earlier, palladium, rhodium, and platinum catalysts lead to superior regioselectivities because they work under milder reaction conditions (20-80 °C, 0.1-1 MPa CO) [11], e.g., bimetallic catalysts based on tin(II) chloride and either platinum or palladium complexes afford linear esters in up to 98 % selectivity [12]. In addition, catalyst systems with preference for branched isomers are known. A recent example employed palladium acetate immobilized on montmorillonite in the presence of triphenylphosphine and an acid promoter for the hydroesterification of aryl olefins (eq. (3)). The reaction is totally regiospecific for the branched isomer of aromatic olefins, while aliphatic olefins afford branched chain esters only regioselectively with n/i = 1 3 [13]. 

One can also envision that the quinone could trap the hydridopalladium species resulting from the B-hydrogen elimination that releases the oxidized organic product (Equation 16.129). Insertion of quinone into the palladium hydride would form an enolate that would tautomerize to the phenoxide complex. Protonation with the reagent containing an 0-H or N-H bond would generate the free hydroquinone and Pd(II). As noted in Chapter 17 on carbonylation, quinone has been used as an additive with this mechanism in mind to prevent tire Pd(II) hydroesterification catalysts from undergoing reduction to palladium(O). ... 

Up to now, palladium complexes do not play a significant role in the hydroformylation of olefins [1]. However, because of their widespread use in the related hydrocarboxylation, hydroesterification, and olefin copolymerization with CO [2], occasionally their utility for hydroformylation was elucidated [3]. Moreover, palladium catalysts have been used for the hydroformylation of aryl and enol triflates to produce the corresponding unsaturated aldehydes [4]. 

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