Bimetallic Reductive Elimination from Dinuclear Pd(III) Complexes

In 2009, we reported C−halogen reductive elimination reactions from dinuclear Pd(III) complexes and implicated dinuclear intermediates in Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed C−H oxidation chemistry. Herein, we report results of a thorough experimental and theoretical investigation of the mechanism of reductive elimination from such dinuclear Pd(III) complexes, which establish the role of each metal during reductive elimination. Our results implicate reductive elimination from a complex in which the dinuclear core is intact and suggest that redox synergy between the two metals is responsible for the facile reductive elimination reactions observed.