A novel protocol for the direct carbon dioxide insertion (CO2) into aryl halides in a catalytic manner is presented herein. Unlike other carboxylation methods using CO2, there is no need for the synthesis of the corresponding organometallic intermediates. Additionally, and in contrast to the well-established carbonylation processes, our protocol does not use highly toxic CO for the preparation of benzoic acids. Furthermore, this method is distinguished by its mild conditions, allowing the tolerance of a wide range of functional groups and substitution patterns. The crucial step of the process involves a challenging catalytic CO2 insertion into Pd-C bonds.
Palladium-catalyzed direct carboxylation of aryl bromides with carbon dioxide
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 15974-15975.
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