Reversing the Trend in Oxidative Addition

Significance

The oxidative additions of a series of trans-stilbenes with platinum were investigated. It was found that the coordination of the platinum center to the alkene moiety is kinetically preferred over the oxidative addition and that insertion into the Ar-X bond is the rate-determining step. The insertion into the Ar-Br bond was found to be faster than the insertion into the Ar-I bond and electron-withdrawing substituents on the aryl ring slowed down the rate of oxidative addition (k _OA), contrary to the general trend in oxidative additions with palladium.