Electronic differentiation competes with transition state sensitivity in palladium-catalyzed allylic substitutions

Electronic differentiations in Pd-catalyzed allylic substitutions are assessed computationally from transition structure models with electronically modified phospha-benzene-pyridine ligands. Although donor/acceptor substitutions at P and N ligand sites were expected to increase the site selectivity, i.e. the preference for "trans to P" attack at the allylic intermediate, acceptor/acceptor substitution yields the highest selectivity. Energetic and geometrical analyses of transition structures show that the sensitivity for electronic differentiation is crucial for this site selectivity. Early transition structures with acceptor substituted ligands give rise to more intensive Pd-allyl interactions, which transfer electronic P,N differentiation of the ligand more efficiently to the allyl termini and hence yield higher site selectivities.