Building addressable libraries: The use of electrochemistry for generating reactive Pd(II) reagents at preselected sites on a chip

A Pd(II) reagent has been generated at preselected sites on an electrochemically addressable chip. The reagent was used to effect the Wacker oxidation of an olefin substrate bound to the chip near the electrode. The use of ethyl vinyl ether in the solution above the chip effectively kept the Pd(II) reagent generated at the preselected electrode from migrating to neighboring electrodes and initiating Wacker oxidations at unwanted sites on the chip.