The effect of ligand donor atoms on the regioselectivity in the palladium catalyzed allylic alkylation

The regioselectivity of the palladium catalyzed allylic alkylation was studied systematically using bidentate ligands based on a xanthene backbone, bearing different donor atoms. The nature of the ligand donor atoms has a pronounced influence on the regioselectivity of the reaction. The results can be explained by a mechanism that distinguishes two ‘stages’ in the alkylation reaction. Ligands bearing strong π-acceptor donor atoms induce the formation of branched products (60% for the PP derivative), whereas the use of ligands with weak π-acceptor donor atoms mainly yields linear products (>99% for the NN derivative).