Synthesis and spectroscopic characterisation of all the intermediates in the Pd-catalysed methoxycarbonylation of ethene

Abstract

The pathway of the palladium catalysed methoxycarbonylation of ethene to methyl propanoate has been shown to occur via a hydride rather than a methoxycarbonyl cycle and all the intermediates in this cycle have been unambiguously identified by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and 13C-labelling.