An efficient catalyst system for the carbonylation to esters of α-arylpropionic acids

The polymer-supported bimetallic catalyst system PVP–PdCl₂–CuCl₂/PPh₃ has good conversion and regioselectivity to carbonylation of α-(6′-methoxy-2′-naphthyl)ethanol under mild conditions. The effects of temperature, CO pressure, reaction time and P/Pd ratio have been studied to obtain optimum reaction conditions. The carbonylation of various α-arylethanols and styrene derivatives are also investigated with the same catalyst. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron micrograph (TEM) show that the polymer would protect palladium particles against aggregation and serve as a ligand.