During the past few years, numerous synthetic methods have been developed that take advantage of catalytic C–C bond cleavage via β-C elimination from an alkylmetal intermediate to furnish a new Pd^II(olefin)(R) (R = Alkyl, Aryl, etc.) species. Nevertheless, igorous characterization of said post-β-C-elimination organometallic species has proven elusive. In collaboration with the Liu group at the University of Pittsburgh and the X-ray crystallography facility at UCSD, we have successfully synthesized well-defined post-β-C-elimination organopalladium complexes, enabled by a combination of strain-release to provide thermodynamic driving force and chelation stabilization to suppress potential side reactions. The complexes were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and the potential energy surface of the β-C elimination step and other relevant processes was computed using density functional theory. Congrats to Taeho, Rei, Anna, and Tanner from Scripps Research; Yue from Pitt; and Arnie, Jake, and Milan from UCSD.

For a link to the pre-print in ChemRxiv, click here: https://chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxiv/article-details/635875afca86b8d57fc36848