Kinetics and Mechanism of a Reaction of Phenylacetylene with Carbon Monoxide and Butanol in Toluene Catalyzed by a Palladium(0) Complex in the Presence of Trifluoroacetic Acid and Triphenylphosphine

The reaction of phenylacetylene with CO and n-butanol in toluene (363 K) catalyzed by the Pd(dba)₂/m(CF₃COOH)/n(Ph₃P) system (dba is dibenzylideneacetone; 2 m 8; 10 n 30) is studied. The initial rate of the main product (butyl 2-phenylpropenoate) buildup is found to depend on the pressure of CO and the concentrations of reactants and system components. The state of the catalyst under reaction conditions is studied in situby IR spectroscopy. A kinetic model is developed based on the experimental results. This model corresponds to the mechanism that resembles the hydride mechanism in the type of main intermediates in the catalytic cycle.