Aerobic Ligand-Free Suzuki Coupling Reaction of Aryl Chlorides Catalyzed byIn Situ Generated Palladium Nanoparticles at Room Temperature

Metal nanoparticles in liquid phase catalysis; from recent advances to future goals

Metal nanoparticles have attracted much attention over the last decade owing to their unique properties, different to their bulk counterparts, which pave the way for their application in different fields from materials science and engineering to biomedical applications. Of particular interest, the use of metal nanoparticles in catalysis has brought superior efficiency in terms of activity, selectivity and lifetime to heterogeneous catalysis. This article reviews the recent developments in the synthesis routes and the catalytic performance of metal nanoparticles depending on the solvent used for various organic and inorganic transformations. Additionally, we also discuss the prevalent complications and their possible solutions plus future prospects in the field of nanocatalysis.

Recent advances in noble metal nanocatalysts for Suzuki and Heck cross-coupling reactions

Since metal nanoparticles have a high surface-to-volume ratio and very active surface atoms, they are very attractive catalysts for a wide variety of organic and inorganic reactions, compared to bulk catalysts. Metal nanoparticles suspended in colloidal solutions and those adsorbed onto bulk supports have been used as catalysts for a wide variety of carbon-carbon bond formation reactions such as the Suzuki and Heck cross-coupling reactions. This review article highlights some of the latest advances in the application of noble metal nanoparticles as catalysts for these two industrially important classes of cross-coupling reactions. We will discuss several important advances in using metal nanocatalysts in Suzuki and Heck cross-coupling reactions such as investigations on the nanoparticle shape dependence on the catalytic activity, novel types of supported metal nanoparticles as nanocatalysts, and the use of bi-metallic, tri-metallic and multi-metallic nanoparticles as catalysts for the Suzuki and Heck cross-coupling reactions.