Organopalladium carbopalladation, palladium® complexes

Carbopalladation is the reaction of a cr-bonded organopalladium complex I with an unsaturated molecule (such as an alkene 2) to yield the migratory insertion product 3 (Scheme 1). The reaction is tremendously flexible, allowing for a wide variety of structural types for both reactants 1 and 2. The precursors of palladium complexes 1 are commonly alkenyl or aryl halides or triflates (8 and 9, respectively), the reaction of which is more commonly termed the Heck reaction. Allylic systems 10, which react to provide -Tr-allylpalladium complexes, can participate in the reaction as can benzylic precursors 11. Acylpalladium complexes 12 also react and are commonly generated in the same reaction vessel by Pd-catalyzed carbonylation. Their unsaturated reaction partners include alkenes 2, alkynes 4, dienes 6, allenes, and arenes, all of which can be electron rich or poor. Carbopalladation occurs in a syn fashion allowing the installation of stereocenters (2- 3) or control of alkene geometry (4- 5). 

These carbopalladation reactions may be divided into two distinct types of reaction those involving palladium(II) salts and those involving organopalladium(ll) complexes. These two reaction types will be treated separately herein. 

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