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Updated: May 21, 2026

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions
Published on: July 30, 2017
Palladium catalyzed C-H functionalization of O-arylcarbamates: selective ortho-bromination using NBS
Alex John1, Kenneth M Nicholas
1Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA.
Abstract:
A series of cyclometalated palladium complexes derived from O-phenylcarbamates has been synthesized by the reaction of the respective carbamates with Pd(OAc)(2) in the presence of acids, CF(3)CO(2)H, CF(3)SO(3)H, and p-TsOH. The palladacycles were observed to coordinate amines and electron rich anilines but not sulfonamides or carboxamides. Analysis of the (t)Bu-NH(2) adduct of the palladacycle 2b (2b·(t)Bu-NH(2)) by NMR spectroscopy (NOE) revealed a cis-coordination of the amine. However, the amine adducts failed to undergo ortho-amination (C-N bond formation) under varied reaction conditions. Notably, the palladacycle 1d was found to react efficiently with N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) to yield the ortho-iodinated carbamate, 1e. More significantly, this reaction can be extended to a palladium-catalyzed ortho C-H bromination of aryl-O-carbamates even at 5 mol % loading of Pd(OAc)(2) using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS).
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