Palladium-Catalyzed Highly Regio- and Enantioselective Hydroesterification of Aryl Olefins with Phenyl Formate

An effective Pd-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective hydroesterification of aryl olefins with phenyl formate is described. A variety of phenyl 2-arylpropanoates can be obtained in good yields with high b/l ratios and ee's without using toxic CO gas.