Initiators palladium methoxide

One initiation pathway produces ester end-groups. It starts with a palladium-carbomethoxy species, which can be formed either by CO insertion in a palladium methoxide or by direct attack of methanol on coordinated CO (Scheme 1). 

For ethylene/CO copolymerization, two relevant termination mechanisms have been proposed. One mechanism, protonolysis of the palladium-alkyl bond, produces a saturated ketone end-group and a palladium methoxide (eq. (6)). The latter can again be converted to a palladium carbomethoxide initiator by CO insertion into the palladium-methoxide bond. 

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