Unusual kinetics of catalyst revealed

US researchers have elucidated the unusual reaction kinetics of C-H activation by the palladium(II) catalyst (Pd(OAc)₂). Surprisingly, only catalyst concentration appears to affect the reaction rate, while reactant concentration either has no effect or suppresses the reaction. Understanding this mechanism could help the design of more efficient C-H catalysts for industry, including pharmaceuticals. 

C-H bonds in complex molecules are typically unreactive and therefore breaking them easily and efficiently poses a challenge for synthetic chemists. Transition metal catalysts have been shown to selectively activate these bonds with the addition of ligands but a lack of mechanistic studies has restricted the development of catalyst-ligand systems that could improve reactivity and positional selectivity. More...

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2012/February/C-H-activation-kinetics-unveiled.asp