Hydroformylation of alkenes is usually carried out with rhodium catalysts.
However, depending on the choice of ligand, the compound [Pd(PP)(OTf)2] is also a hydroformylation catalyst in the presence of small amounts of an organic acid (PP is a bidentate neutral ligand, OTf is a weakly coordinating anion).
Give a likely mechanism for the hydroformylation of 1-butene by the catalyst [Pd(PP)(OTf)2]; include electron count and oxidation state of the intermediates and name the reaction steps. Which activation pathway for H2 do you use and why?

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Bonding in carbonyl complexes Coordinate bond formed in carbonyl complexes First tw... View the full answer