Palladium is a common transition metal for catalysis, and the fundamental organometallic reactivity of palladium in its 0, I, II and IV oxidation states is well established. The potential role of Pd(III) in catalysis has not been investigated because organometallic reactions that involve Pd(III) have not been reported previously. In this article we present the formation of carbon–heteroatom bonds from discrete bimetallic Pd(III) complexes and show the synergistic involvement of two palladium atoms of the bimetallic core during both oxidation and reductive elimination. Our results challenge the currently accepted mechanism for oxidative palladium catalysis via Pd(II)–Pd(IV) redox cycles and implicate bimetallic palladium complexes in redox catalysis. The new mechanistic insight provides an opportunity to explore rationally the potential of bimetallic palladium catalysis for synthesis.

Bimetallic Pd(III) complexes in palladium-catalysed carbon–heteroatom bond formation.

The high utility of halogenated organic compounds has prompted the development of a vast number of transformations which install the carbon–halogen motif. Traditional routes to these building blocks have commonly involved multiple steps, harsh reaction conditions, and the use of stoichiometric and/or toxic reagents. In this regard, using transition metals to catalyze the synthesis of organohalides has become a mature field in itself, and applying these technologies has allowed for a decrease in the production of waste, higher levels of regio- and stereoselectivity, and the ability to produce enantioenriched target compounds. Furthermore, transition metals offer the distinct advantage of possessing a diverse spectrum of mechanistic possibilities which translate to the capability to apply new substrate classes and afford novel and difficult-to-access structures. This Review provides comprehensive coverage of modern transition metal-catalyzed syntheses of organohalides via a diverse array of mechanisms. Atte...

Modern Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Carbon–Halogen Bond Formation

In 2009, we reported C−halogen reductive elimination reactions from dinuclear Pd(III) complexes and implicated dinuclear intermediates in Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed C−H oxidation chemistry. Herein, we report results of a thorough experimental and theoretical investigation of the mechanism of reductive elimination from such dinuclear Pd(III) complexes, which establish the role of each metal during reductive elimination. Our results implicate reductive elimination from a complex in which the dinuclear core is intact and suggest that redox synergy between the two metals is responsible for the facile reductive elimination reactions observed.

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Bimetallic Reductive Elimination from Dinuclear Pd(III) Complexes

One-dimensional wires with metal–metal bonding have been studied for more than a century, but control over structure and properties has remained challenging. Here, palladium–palladium bonding is used to make one-dimensional wires with lengths of up to 750 nm in solution, whose molecular structures can be rationally modified.

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Synthesis and structure of solution-stable one-dimensional palladium wires

Structure and electronic properties of Pd(III) complexes

Reaction of Pd2(DAniF)4, 1, (DAniF = di-p-anisylformamidinate) with 1 equiv of AgPF6 in CH2Cl2 at or below −10 °C produces the paramagnetic species [Pd2(DAniF)4]PF6, 1-PF6, that has been studied by X-ray crystallography, UV−vis spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and multifrequency (9.5, 34.5, 110, and 220 GHz) EPR spectroscopy. Upon oxidation of the precursor, the Pd−Pd distance decreases by 0.052 A from 2.6486(8) to 2.597(1) A. The EPR spectra show broad signals with line widths of about 1000 G. The spectra collected at high field show a large spread of g tensor components (∼0.03), but these are masked at lower frequencies (9.5 and 34.5 GHz). A reinvestigation using high-field EPR of the p-tolyl analogue, which is the only other structurally characterized Pd25+ species (Cotton, F. A.; Matusz, M.; Poli, R.; Feng, X. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1988, 110, 1144), shows that this species, which had been reported to give an isotropic 9.5 GHz EPR spectrum, also gives anisotropic 110 and 220 GHz EPR spectra with a similarly...

Eckhard Bill

Papers

A Fractional Bond Order of 1/2 in Pd25+−Formamidinate Species; The Value of Very High-Field EPR Spectra