C-H bond activation at palladium(IV) centers.

This communication describes the first observation and study of C-H activation at a Pd(IV) center. This transformation was achieved by designing model complexes in which the rate of reductive elimination is slowed relative to that of the desired C-H activation process. Remarkably, the C-H activation reaction can proceed under mild conditions and with complementary site selectivity to analogous transformations at Pd(II). These results provide a platform for incorporating this new reaction as a step in catalytic processes.