--- title: "Wacker oxidation Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-wacker-oxidation/ description: "Wacker oxidation template: Wacker process cycle: hydroxypalladation of ethene by Pd(II) and water, β-hydride elimination and re-insertion giving acetaldehyde…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-10-28 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/catalytic-cycles/) › Wacker oxidation [Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/catalytic-cycles/)Premium # Wacker oxidation template ![Wacker oxidation template: Wacker process cycle: hydroxypalladation of ethene by Pd(II) and water, β-hydride elimination and re-insertion giving acetaldehyde and H–Pd–Cl, loss of HCl to Pd(0), and reoxidation by CuCl₂ (CuCl + O₂ regenerate it); key step: water attacks the Pd-bound alkene.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-wacker-oxidation.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). Wacker process cycle: hydroxypalladation of ethene by Pd(II) and water, β-hydride elimination and re-insertion giving acetaldehyde and H–Pd–Cl, loss of HCl to Pd(0), and reoxidation by CuCl₂ (CuCl + O₂ regenerate it); key step: water attacks the Pd-bound alkene. ## What the template shows - PdCl₂ turns ethene and water into acetaldehyde; CuCl₂ and O₂ reoxidise the palladium - Overall: CH₂=CH₂ + ½ O₂ → CH₃CHO (cat. PdCl₂, cat. CuCl₂, H₂O, HCl) - PdCl₂ (as PdCl₄²⁻) - The carbonyl oxygen comes from water, not from O₂; O₂ only reoxidises copper. - Pd(II) is the oxidant and is reduced to Pd(0); CuCl₂ turns it back into Pd(II), and O₂ regenerates CuCl₂. - Ligands and charges on Pd (PdCl₄²⁻, aqua and alkene ligands) are simplified here. - With terminal alkenes RCH=CH₂ (Tsuji–Wacker) the product is the methyl ketone RCOCH₃ (Markovnikov). - Key step: water attacks the coordinated alkene - Pd(II) pulls electron density from ethene, so water adds to carbon (from the face away from Pd, anti) and the C=C π electrons form the C–Pd bond; the oxonium ion then loses H⁺. - Chloride and water ligands on Pd are simplified · every part of this figure is editable Drawn with 24 atoms, 7 arrows, 99 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Smidt, Hafner, Jira, Sedlmeier, Sieber, Rüttinger & Kojer, Angew. Chem. 1959, 71, 176](https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.19590710503) Original paper - [Crabtree, The Organometallic Chemistry of the Transition Metals, 6th ed., Wiley 2014](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781118138076) Textbook ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Wacker oxidation template free? You can preview the Wacker oxidation template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Wacker oxidation template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### What does a catalytic cycle template show? The active catalyst, each intermediate around the cycle, the substrates that enter and the products that leave, with each elementary step named on its arrow. ## More catalytic cycles templates [**Suzuki–Miyaura coupling**Free · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-suzuki-miyaura/)[**Mizoroki–Heck reaction**Free · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-mizoroki-heck/)[**Olefin metathesis (Chauvin mechanism)**Free · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-olefin-metathesis/)[**Buchwald–Hartwig amination**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-buchwald-hartwig/)[**Sonogashira coupling**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-sonogashira/)[**Negishi coupling**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-negishi/)[**Stille coupling**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-stille/)[**Wilkinson's catalyst: alkene hydrogenation**Premium · Catalytic cycles](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cycle-wilkinson-hydrogenation/) ## Related pages [**All Catalytic cycles templates**10 templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/catalytic-cycles/)[**All chemistry templates**370 templates in 29 categories](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) MolDraw Pro Download all 370 templates - Export the 291 premium templates as PNG, SVG or PDF - AI chemistry assistant - Structure scanning from images - Cloud save and teaching slides [See Pro plans](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing) Free templates stay free. 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