Palladium on carbon is a common catalyst for hydrogenolysis. Such reactions are helpful in deprotection strategies. Particularly common substrates for hydrogenolysis are benzyl ethers:[5]
Other labile substituents are also susceptible to cleavage by this reagent. [6]
A solution of palladium chloride and hydrochloric acid is combined with aqueous suspension of activated carbon. The palladium(II) is then reduced by the addition of formaldehyde.[8] Palladium loading is typically between 5% and 10%. Often the catalyst mixture is stored moist.
^Romanelli, Michael G.; Becker, Ernest I. (1967). "Ethylp-dimethylaminophenylacetate". Organic Syntheses. 47: 69. doi:10.15227/orgsyn.047.0069.
^Smith, Michael B.; March, Jerry (2007). March's Advanced Organic Chemistry (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 1816. ISBN978-0-471-72091-1.
^Ram, Siya; Ehrenkaufer, Richard E. (1984). "A general procedure for mild and rapid reduction of aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds using ammonium formate as a catalytic hydrogen transfer agent". Tetrahedron Letters. 25 (32): 3415–3418. doi:10.1016/S0040-4039(01)91034-2. hdl:2027.42/25034.
^Smith, Amos B.; Zhu, Wenyu; Shirakami, Shohei; Sfouggatakis, Chris; Doughty, Victoria A.; Bennett, Clay S.; Sakamoto, Yasuharu (2003-03-01). "Total Synthesis of (+)-Spongistatin 1. An Effective Second-Generation Construction of an Advanced EF Wittig Salt, Fragment Union, and Final Elaboration". Organic Letters. 5 (5): 761–764. doi:10.1021/ol034037a. ISSN1523-7060. PMID12605509.
^Musliner, Walter J.; Gates, Jr, John W. (1971). "Dehydroxylation of Phenols; Hydrogenolysis of Phenolic Ethers: Biphenyl". Organic Syntheses. 51: 82. doi:10.15227/orgsyn.051.0082.
^Liebeskind, Lanny S.; Peña-Cabrera, Eduardo (2000). "Stille couplings catalyzed by palladium-on-carbon with CuI as a co-catalyst: synthesis of 2-(4'-Acetylhenyl)thiophene". Organic Syntheses. 77: 138. doi:10.15227/orgsyn.077.0135.