Palladium NCN and CNC pincer complexes as exceptionally active catalysts for aerobic oxidation in sustainable media

The oxidation of secondary benzyl alcohols is catalyzed by two palladacycles at atmospheric pressure in PEG-400, a sustainable reaction media. Recycling of the active catalytic species is performed up to the 5th run, and catalyst loadings decreased down to 10(-8) mol%, thus achieving unprecedented TON and TOF values. In addition, the same conditions proved to be effective for the aerobic oxidation of benzyl methylene compounds, a scarcely explored process by palladium catalysts.