Mechanochemical Palladium-Catalyzed Oxidative Esterification of Alcohols

A mechanochemical palladium-catalyzed oxidative esterification of alcohols has been developed. The protocol allows a solvent-free synthesis of symmetric and unsymmetric esters from liquid and solid benzylic and aliphatic alcohols in up to excellent yields. Various green metrics for the developed protocol have been calculated and compared with those of solution-based protocols, highlighting the benefits of the mechanochemical approach.