Mechanistic Questions about the Reaction of Molecular Oxygen with Palladium in Oxidase Catalysis

Which pathway? Aerobic Pd-catalyzed oxidation reactions couple organic-substrate oxidation to the reduction of O2. Two pathways are prevalent for the regeneration of the active PdII catalyst (see scheme; SubH2= substrate; SubOx=oxidized substrate), and recent studies have provided a deeper fundamental understanding of the interactions of Pd with O2.