Palladium-Catalyzed Alkoxycarbonylation of Terminal Alkenes To Produce α, β-Unsaturated Esters: The Key Role of Acetonitrile as a Ligand

A mild protocol has been developed for the Pd-II-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of terminal olefins to produce ,-unsaturated esters with a wide range of substrates. Key features are the use of MeCN as solvent (and/or ligand) to control the reactivity of the intermediate Pd complexes and the combination of CO with O-2, which facilitates the Cu-II-mediated reoxidation of the Pd-0 complex to Pd-II and prevents double carbonylation.