Palladium toxicity

Some metals used as metallic coatings are considered nontoxic, such as aluminum, magnesium, iron, tin, indium, molybdenum, tungsten, titanium, tantalum, niobium, bismuth, and the precious metals such as gold, platinum, rhodium, and palladium. However, some of the most important poUutants are metallic contaminants of these metals. Metals that can be bioconcentrated to harmful levels, especially in predators at the top of the food chain, such as mercury, cadmium, and lead are especially problematic. Other metals such as silver, copper, nickel, zinc, and chromium in the hexavalent oxidation state are highly toxic to aquatic Hfe (37,57—60). 

Ni(CO)4, TMEDA, DMF, 55°, 4 h, 87-95% yield. Because of the toxicity associated with nickel carbonyl, this method is rarely used and has largely been supplanted by palladium-based reagents. 

Palladium(II) complexes with these features are inactive, owing to their greater lability. Platinum(IV) complexes are often less toxic than their platinum(II) analogues, because of their stability to substitution, though it is believed that they undergo in vivo reduction to platinum(II). 

The most successful class of active ingredient for both oxidation and reduction is that of the noble metals silver, gold, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. Platinum and palladium readily oxidize carbon monoxide, all the hydrocarbons except methane, and the partially oxygenated organic compounds such as aldehydes and alcohols. Under reducing conditions, platinum can convert NO to N2 and to NH3. Platinum and palladium are used in small quantities as promoters for less active base metal oxide catalysts. Platinum is also a candidate for simultaneous oxidation and reduction when the oxidant/re-ductant ratio is within 1% of stoichiometry. The other four elements of the platinum family are in short supply. Ruthenium produces the least NH3 concentration in NO reduction in comparison with other catalysts, but it forms volatile toxic oxides. 

Modem cross coupling chemistry is heavily dominated by the use of palladium and nickel complexes as the catalysts, which show an impressively wide scope and an excellent compatibility with many functional groups.2 This favorable application profile usually overcompensates the disadvantages resulting from the high price of the palladium precursors, the concerns about the toxicity of nickel salts, the need for ancillary ligands to render the complexes sufficiently active and stable, and the extended reaction times that are necessary in certain cases. 

Caution All operations described in these procedures must be carried out in a well-ventilated hood, since ammonia is highly toxic, hydrogen is extremely flammable, and palladium black is pyrophoric. 

To circumvent some of the above-mentioned drawbacks of sulfur-based mercury chemodosimeters, a system based on the alkyne oxymercuration of 58 has been developed (Fig. 22) [146]. 58 shows high selectivity, a limit of detection of ca. 8 ppm, resistance against strong oxidants, and a positive reaction even in the presence of cysteine, which is known to form stable mercury complexes and is used for the extraction of mercury from tissue samples. Another metal that is well-known for its catalytic ability is palladium, catalyzing different reactions depending on its oxidation state. Since this metal is toxic, assessment of the maximum allowable concentration of Pd in consumer products such as pharmaceuticals requires highly sensitive and selective detection schemes. For this purpose, indicator 60 was conceived to undergo allylic oxidative insertion to the fluorescein... 

Synthesis of aldehydes from alcohols is an important transformation in several applications. In small scale oxidations still chromic acid is being used as a stoichiometric oxidant of alcohols, which leads to a large amount of toxic waste and it is also expensive. Catalytic routes have been reported using palladium catalyst [18], or TEMPO (see also Figure 15.13) as a radical catalyst for the oxidation of alcohols [19], or combinations of TEMPO and copper [20] related work is mentioned in the references of these articles. The mechanism of... 

Styrene is produced by the catalytic vapor phase dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. Ethylbenzene is made by the Friedel-Crafts condensation of ethylene and benzene. Styrene is also produced by the palladium acetate-catalyzed condensation of ethylene and benzene and by the dehydration of methylphenylcarbinol obtained by the propylation of ethylbenzene. Because of the toxicity of styrene, its concentration in the atmosphere must be severely limited. 

Heterogenization of homogeneous metal complex catalysts represents one way to improve the total turnover number for expensive or toxic catalysts. Two case studies in catalyst immobilization are presented here. Immobilization of Pd(II) SCS and PCP pincer complexes for use in Heck coupling reactions does not lead to stable, recyclable catalysts, as all catalysis is shown to be associated with leached palladium species. In contrast, when immobilizing Co(II) salen complexes for kinetic resolutions of epoxides, immobilization can lead to enhanced catalytic properties, including improved reaction rates while still obtaining excellent enantioselectivity and catalyst recyclability. 

Palladium catalyzes the carbonylation of allylic, vinylic, benzylic, and aromatic halides in alcohols to form esters under conditions similar to those required by the nickel carbonyl catalyst (11). The palladium-catalyzed reaction offers the advantage of not requiring the use of highly toxic and volatile nickel carbonyl, and perhaps higher catalyst activity, although accurate comparisons have not been made. Like the nickel reaction, the palladium reaction... 

Lately, a number of papers have dealt with microwave-assisted reactions on palladium-doped A1203. Villemin reported on Stifle, Suzuki, Heck and Trost—Tsuji reactions where potassium fluoride on alumina was used as the base26. The reactions were carried out without solvent or stabilising phosphine ligands in single-mode reactors. The Stifle reactions were noteworthy as the toxic organotin residue remained adsorbed on the solid support, thus allowing a simplified work-up procedure for the otherwise unpleasant, and toxic, stannous by-products. Both the Stifle and the Suzuki reactions could be performed under air. Furthermore, it was noted that with experiments where the... 

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