title: Regioselective orthopalladation of (Z)-2-aryl-4-arylidene-5(4H)-oxazolones: scope, kinetico-mechanistic, and density functional theory studies of the C-H bond activation.
abstract: Orthopalladated complexes derived from (Z)-2-aryl-4-arylidene-5(4H)-oxazolones have been prepared by reaction of the oxazolone with palladium acetate in acidic medium. The reaction is regioselective, only the ortho C-H bond of the arylidene ring being activated, producing a six-membered ring. The scope and reaction conditions of the orthopalladation are dependent on the acidity of the solvent. In CF(3)CO(2)H a large number of oxazolones can be metalated under mild conditions. As acidity decreases a lesser number of oxazolones can be efficiently palladated and harsher conditions must be used to achieve similar yields. The C-H bond activation in acidic medium agrees with an ambiphilic mechanism, as determined from kinetic measurements at variable temperature and pressure for different oxazolones substituted at the arylidene ring. The mechanism has been confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, where the formation of the six-membered ring is shown to be favored from both a kinetic and a thermodynamic perspective. In addition, the dependence of the reaction rate on the acidity of the medium has also been accounted for via a fine-tuning between the C-H agostic precoordination and the proton abstraction reaction in the overall process occurring on coordinatively saturated [Pd(κ(N)-oxazolone)(RCO(2)H)(3)](2+).
authors.affiliation: Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, 400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Gheorghe-Doru
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Roiban
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aullón
authors.forename: Ion
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grosu
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cativiela
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Esteban P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Urriolabeitia
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000737:chemistry*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D010081:Oxazolone / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; C516071:palladium(II) acetate; D010081:Oxazolone