Heterogeneous Palladium Catalysts for a New One‐Pot Chemical Route in the Synthesis of Fragrances Based on the Heck Reaction

The one‐pot synthesis of the fragrance 4‐( p ‐methoxyphenyl)butan‐2‐one, with raspberry scent, has been carried out using palladium on different supports such as magnesium oxide (MgO), hydrotalcite, hydroxyapatite (HA), aluminium oxide (γ‐Al 2 O 3 ) and titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ). The first pathway consists of a Heck coupling between 4‐methoxyiodoanisole and methyl vinyl ketone followed by hydrogenation. Palladium supported on titanium dioxide showed the best performance for carrying out both consecutive steps giving 4‐( p ‐methoxyphenyl)butan‐2‐one with high yields and selectivity. The Pd‐TiO 2 catalyst is more active than a homogeneous palladium complex that is well accepted in the literature as being highly active for performing Heck reactions.