Transition Metal and Hydrogen Bond Donor Hybrids: Catalysts for the Activation of Alkylidene Malonates

Palladium ureaka! Urea palladacycles are introduced to activate alkylidene malonates for nucleophilic attack. The strategic incorporation of palladium on a urea scaffold give rise to urea catalysts with enhanced reactivity when compared to conventional urea and thiourea catalysts. A variety of alkylidene malonates are easily activated with urea palladacycle catalysts giving rise to the corresponding products in high yield (see scheme). Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as "Supporting Information". Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.