Efficient Synthesis of Novel Plasticizers by Direct Palladium‐Catalyzed Di‐ or Multi‐carbonylations

Diesters are of fundamental importance in the chemical industry and are used for many applications, e.g. as plasticizers, surfactants, emulsifiers, and lubricants. Herein, we present a straightforward and efficient method for the selective synthesis of diesters via palladium‐catalyzed direct carbonylation of di‐ or polyols with readily available alkenes. Key‐to‐success is the use of a specific palladium catalyst with the “built‐in‐base” ligand L16 providing esterification of all alcohols and a high n/iso ratio. The synthesized diesters were evaluated as potential plasticizers in PVC films by measuring the glass transition temperature (T (g)) via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).