The direct carbonylation of 1,3-butadiene offers the potential for a more cost-efficient and environmentally benign route to industrially important adipic acid derivatives. However, owing to the complex reaction network of regioisomeric carbonylation and isomerization pathways, a selective practical catalyst for this process has thus far proven elusive. Here, we report the design of a pyridyl-substituted bidentate phosphine ligand (HeMaRaphos) that, upon coordination to palladium, catalyzes adipate diester formation from 1,3-butadiene, carbon monoxide, and butanol with 97% selectivity and 100% atom-economy under industrially viable and scalable conditions (turnover number > 60,000). This catalyst system also affords access to a variety of other di- and triesters from 1,2- and 1,3-dienes.

An enantioselective alkoxycarbonylation-amination cascade process of terminal allenes with CO, methanol, and arylamines has been developed. It proceeds under mild conditions (room temperature, ambient pressure CO) via oxidative Pd(II) catalysis using an aromatic spiroketal-based diphosphine (SKP) as a chiral ligand and a Cu(II) salt as an oxidant and affords a wide range of α-methylene-β-arylamino acid esters (36 examples) in good yields with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96% ee) and high regioselectivity (branched/linear > 92:8). Preliminary mechanistic studies suggested that the reaction is likely to proceed through alkoxycarbonylpalladation of the allene followed by an amination process. The synthetic utility of the protocol is showcased in the asymmetric construction of a cycloheptene-fused chiral β-lactam.

The first catalyst for the alkoxycarbonylation of gem-difluoroalkenes is described. This novel catalytic transformation proceeds in the presence of Pd(acac) 2 /1,2-bis((ditert-butylphosphan-yl)methyl)benzene (btbpx) (L4)a nd allows for an efficient and straightforwarda ccess to ar ange of difluoromethylated esters in high yields and regioselectivities.T he synthetic utility of the protocol is showcased in the practical synthesis of aC yclandelate analogue using this methodology as the key step.

Palladium-catalyzed regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective allylic alkylation of β-ketocarbonyls with Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts has been developed using a spiroketal-based diphosphine (SKP) as the ligand, thus affording a range of densely functionalized products bearing vicinal tertiary and all-carbon quaternary stereodyad in high selectivities. The utility of the protocol was demonstrated by the facile synthesis of some complex molecules by simple product transformations.