Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions between organic tellurides and alkenes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0022-328X(95)05763-F

Diaryl tellurides, alkenyl aryl tellurides and dialkenyl tellurides react efficiently with various alkenes in methanol in the presence of a catalytic amount of PdCl₂ together with AgOAc and Et₃ N to give the corresponding aryl- and alkenyl-substituted alkenes with moderate to quantitative yields. Both monomeric and dimeric palladium complexes, (Ph₂Te)₂PdCl₂ and [(Ph₂Te)PdCl₂]₂ respectively, react readily with alkenes to give a high yield of phenyl-substituted alkenes. The key step of this coupling reaction is proposed to be the migration of an organic moiety from Te to Pd (transmetallation) in organic telluride-PdCl₂ complexes to afford organopalladium species.