Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydroesterification of α-Aryl Acrylic Acids to Chiral Substituted Succinates

A palladium-catalyzed asymmetric hydroesterification of α-aryl acrylic acids with CO and alcohol was developed, preparing a variety of chiral α-substituted succinates in moderate yields with high ee values. The kinetic profile of the reaction progress revealed that the alkene substrate first underwent the hydroesterification followed by esterification with alcohol. The origin of the enantioselectivity was elucidated by density functional theory computation.