The Characteristic Features of Pd—C Bonds

The most characteristic feature of the Pd—C bonds in these intermediates of both the stoichiometric and catalytic reactions is their reaction with nucleophiles, and Pd(0) is generated by accepting two electrons from the nucleophiles as exemplified for the first time by the reactions of 7r-allylpalladium chloride[2] or PdCl2-COD[3] complex with malonate and acetoacetate. It should be noted 

Another feature of the Pd—C bonds is the excellent functional group tolerance. They are inert to many functional groups, except alkenes and alkynes and iodides and bromides attached to sp carbons, and not sensitive to H2O, ROH, and even RCO H. In this sense, they are very different from Grignard reagents, which react with carbonyl groups and are easily protonated. 

Reactions of another class are catalyzed by Pd(II) compounds which act as Lewis acids, and are treated in Chapter 5 and partly in Chapter 4. From the above-mentioned explanation, the reactions catalyzed by Pd(0) and Pd(II) are clearly different mechanistically. In this book the stoichiometric and catalytic reactions are classified further according to reacting substrates. However, this classification has some problems, viz. it leads to separate treatment of some unit reactions in different chapters. The carbonylation of alkenes is an example. Oxidative carbonylation of alkenes is treated in Chapter 3 and hydrocar-bonylation in Chapter 4. 

For the definition of oxidation state of carbon, see J. B. Hendrickson, D. J. Cram, and G. S. Hammond, Organic Chernisirv. 3rd Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1970, p. 739. 

---