Thermodynamically leveraged Tandem catalysis for ester RC(O)O-R' bond hydrogenolysis. scope and mechanism.
Rapid and selective formal hydrogenolysis of aliphatic ester RC(O)O-R' linkages is achieved by a tandem homogeneous metal triflate + supported palladium catalytic system. The triflate catalyzes the mildly exothermic, turnover-limiting O-R' cleavage process, whereas the exothermic hydrogenation of the intermediate alkene further drives the overall reaction to completion.