Ruthenium-catalyzed methoxycarbonylation of styrene

Methoxycarbonylation of styrene in the presence of homogeneous Ru catalysts is reported for the first time. Available Ru₃(CO)₁₂ together with halide source such as [bmim]Br, NaBr or LiCl represents active and easy to handle methoxycarbonylation catalyst. The key advantage of the new catalytic systems over traditional Pd catalysts is their high activity at CO pressure as low as 5 bar.