Diethyloxalate as “CO” Source for Palladium-Catalyzed Ethoxycarbonylation of Bromo- and Chloroarene Derivatives

Palladium(II)-catalyzed ethoxycarbonylation of aryl bromides with diethyloxalate oxalate is described. Functionalized aromatic esters can be efficiently synthesized with only 0.65 mol % PdCl2(PPh3)2 catalyst under microwave irradiation and without additional ligand. This method illustrates an inexpensive and operationally simple method for the preparation of aromatic esters.