Mechanism of Mechanochemical C-H Bond Activation in an Azobenzene Substrate by Pd Catalysts.

Mechanism of C-H bond activation by various Pd catalysts under milling conditions has been studied by in situ Raman spectroscopy. Common Pd precursors, that is PdCl , [Pd(OAc) ] , PdCl (MeCN) and [Pd(MeCN) ][BF ] , have been employed for the activation of one or two C-H bonds in an unsymmetrical azobenzene substrate. The C-H activation was achieved by all used Pd precursors and their reactivity increases in the order [Pd(OAc) ]