Chemistry Letters, Vol.30, No.3, 212-213, 2001
A selective synthesis of biphenyl by the Pd(OAc)(2)/MoO2(acac)(2)/O-2/AcOH catalyst system
A high selectivity of biphenyl (88%) was attained by the Pd-catalyzed dimerization of benzene in the presence of O-2 and acetic acid when MoO2(acac)(2) was used as a cocatalyst. Various Mo compounds gave high selectivities of biphenyl (82-87%).