Palladium Catalysed Reaction of Myrcene with Acetic Acid and Phenol

This paper concerns the reaction of myrcene, 7‐methyl‐3‐methylene‐1,6‐octadiene, with acetic acid‐sodium acetate and phenol‐sodium phenoxide in the presence of a variety of palladium‐catalysts under various conditions. The reaction of myrcene with acetic acid catalysed by palladous chloride‐triphenyl phosphine in benzene under nitrogen gave a mixture of linalylacetate (I), 2‐acetoxy‐3‐methylene‐7‐methyl‐6‐octene (II), 3‐acetoxymethyl‐7‐methyl‐2,6‐octadiene (III), nerylacetate (IV) and geranylacetate (V) in yield of 15%. The analogous reaction catalysed by palladium‐cupric acetate under oxygen gave the similar acetates mixture in yield of 21%. The reaction of myrcene with phenol catalysed palladous chloride‐benzonitrile complex gave a mixture of various terpene ethers and myrcene dimers.