Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Ortho-Ethoxycarbonylation of O‑Methyl Ketoximes and 2‑Arylpyridines with Potassium Oxalate Monoester

A novel method for introducing an ester group via palladium-catalyzed ligand-directed C–H activation has been explored. The ortho-ethoxycarbonylation of O-methyl ketoximes proceeded smoothly with the nontoxic and easily handled reagent potassium oxalate monoester, affording the desired products in moderate to good yields. Furthermore, pyridine could also be employed as a directing group to obtain similar results in this transformation.