Enantioselective synthesis of six-membered palladacycles having metal-bound stereogenic carbons:: Isolation and reactivity of palladacycles containing readily accessible β-hydrogens

Five enantiopure palladacycles containing palladium bonded to a stereogenic carbon and an N-coordinated oxindole were synthesized by the reaction of alkenyl aryl triflates 2 and 9 with Pd(0) bisphosphine complexes. Two palladacyclic complexes, 3beta and 10alpha, were characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The reactivity of neutral palladacycles 3beta and 10beta was studied in detail. These unusual palladium alkyls, which have three accessible beta-hydrogens, are thermally stable at temperatures as high as 120 degreesC. At higher temperature, or at room temperature in the presence of weak acids, these complexes epimerize at the stereogenic carbon bonded to palladium. The mechanism of the acid-promoted epimerization was studied in detail. During this epimerization, cationic palladium alkyls 13/14 and 33 and cationic palladium hydride alkene complexes 31 and 32 are in rapid equilibrium.