Biphasic Wacker-oxidation of 1-octene catalyzed by palladium complexes with modified β-cyclodextrins

New water-soluble palladium complexes with molecular recognition abilities based on beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) modified by nitrile-containing groups have been designed. Complexes display high catalytic activity and selectivity in two-phase Wacker-oxidation of 1-octene under mild conditions. The correlation between binding constants for inclusion complexes of beta-CD-based compounds with substrate and the reaction rates has been established. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.