Heterogeneous alkenylation of aromatics under oxygen

A novel heterogeneous Pd/polymer catalyst containing co-catalytic functional groups catalyses the direct alkenylation of anisole with ethyl trans-cinnamate under oxygen. The properties of the polymeric catalyst were compared to other immobilised catalysts. The activity of the polymeric catalyst typically increased with temperature and oxygen pressure exhibiting the optimal activity up to 100 TON at 383 K under 1.2 MPa of O2. The most abundant product was 3-(p-methoxyphenyl)-3-phenylpropanoate (≈45%). The reaction selectivity was practically independent of the conditions. Split-tests and AAS measurements confirm heterogeneous character of the catalyst.