Pd-catalyzed carbonylation of aryl halides and related compounds: a sustainable method useful for the synthesis of fine chemicals

Functionalizations of aryl and heteroaryl halides as well as of haloketones are of major importance for modern organic synthesis since the resulting products are frequently present in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and new materials. Palladium catalyzed carbonylations have found fewer applications in synthetic organic chemistry and industry, probably due to the complexity of this reaction that is strongly affected by the reaction conditions. Nature of involved catalytic palladium species, pressure of CO, type of solvent, of base and of H-donor, in the case of reductive formylation, may determine a positive or negative output of this reaction and detailed studies are necessary to find and optimize conditions for sustainable industrial applications [1-3]. The results of our research activity in developing processes to introduce carbonyl functional groups into molecules, with respect to overall economics and environmental factors, will be presented. The involved reactions are depicted in the Scheme. Scheme In some cases yields up to 100% and complete selectivities were achieved under the best reaction parameters.