Cationic palladium nitro complexes as catalysts for the oxygen-based oxidation of alkenes to ketones, and for the oxydehydrogenation of ketones and aldehydes to the α, β-unsaturated analogues

Cationic palladium nitro complexes permit more rapid and more selective oxidation of alkenes to ketones than existing metal nitro catalysts; they also oxidatively dehydrogenate ketones and aldehydes to the corresponding α, β-unsaturated analogues under extremely mild conditions.