Recycling of homogeneous Pd catalysts using superparamagnetic nanoparticles as novel soluble supports for Suzuki, Heck, and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions

Magnetite nanoparticle-supported coordination polymer nanofibers: synthesis and catalytic application in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling

Functional nanoscale coordination polymers are receiving growing scientific interest because of their potential applications in many domains. In this paper, we demonstrated that a nanofibrous networked metal-organic gel (G1-MNPs) was formed by simply mixing 4,4',4''-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)tris(N-(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)benzamide) (L) and Pd(COD)(NO(3))(2) in CHCl(3)-MeOH with a Pd/L molar ratio of 1:1 in the presence of magnetite nanoparticle (MNPs). The self-assembly behavior of nanofibers was not significantly effected by the introduction of magnetite nanoparticles. The xerogel of G1-MNPs was superparamagnetic and showed catalytic activity in Suzuki-Miyaura C-C coupling reactions. The Pd(II) xerogel could be magnetically isolated and recycled with a permanent magnet. It represents a novel strategy to introduce nanoparticles into functional coordination polymers for multifunctional materials.

Designed synthesis of Au/Ag/Pd trimetallic nanoparticle-based catalysts for Sonogashira coupling reactions

Pdnp and Pd containing trimetallic nanoparticles (tnp) are synthesized by chemical method with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the capping agent. Compositionally, four different tnp are prepared and the particle sizes are characterized by UV-vis spectra, HR-TEM, and XRD measurements. The catalytic activities of Pdnp and tnp are tested using the Sonogashira C-C coupling reaction. The product yield and recyclability of the recovered catalysts are studied. tnp (1:1:1) exhibited better catalysis than Pdnp, which may be due to the concerted electronic effects of the Au-Ag core onto the Pd shell atoms.

Robust Fe3O4/SiO2-Pt/Au/Pd magnetic nanocatalysts with multifunctional hyperbranched polyglycerol amplifiers

Here we report a facile approach to prepare multicarboxylic hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG)-grafted SiO(2)-coated iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2)) magnetic hybrid support. This support combined the both features of Fe(3)O(4) and HPG, facile magnetic separation, and favorable molecular structure with numerous functional groups. With the use of the grafted-HPGs as templates, various noble metal nanocatalysts such as Pt, Au, and Pd were directly grown on the surfaces of magnetic support with ultrasmall and nearly monodisperse sizes (e.g., the average sizes of Pt, Au, and Pd are 4.8 +/- 0.5, 6.0 +/- 0.6, and 4.0 +/- 0.4 nm, respectively) and high coverage densities. Because of the amplification effect of HPG, high loading capacities of the nanocatalysts, around 0.296, 0.243, and 0.268 mmol/g for Pt, Au, and Pd, respectively, were achieved. Representative catalytic reactions including reduction of 4-nitrophenol, alcohol oxidation, and Heck reaction demonstrated the high catalytic activity of the noble metal nanocatalysts. Because of the stabilization of HPG templates, the nanocatalysts can be readily recycled by a magnet and reused for the next reactions with high efficiencies. The robust multifunctional magnetic hybrids will find important applications in catalysis and other fields such as drug delivery and bioseparations.

Palladium/zirconium oxide nanocomposite as a highly recyclable catalyst for C-C coupling reactions in water

Palladium nanoparticles have been electrochemically supported on zirconium oxide nanostructured powders and all the nanomaterials have been characterized by several analytical techniques. The Pd/ZrO(2) nanocatalyst is demonstrated to be a very efficient catalyst in Heck, Ullmann, and Suzuki reactions of aryl halides in water. The catalyst efficiency is attributed to the stabilization of Pd nanophases provided by tetra(alkyl)- ammonium hydroxide, which behaves both as base and PTC (phase transfer catalyst) agent.

Sustainable preparation of supported metal nanoparticles and their applications in catalysis

Metal nanoparticles have attracted much attention over the last decade owing to their unique properties as compared to their bulk metal equivalents, including a large surface-to-volume ratio and tunable shapes. To control the properties of nanoparticles with particular respect to shape, size and dispersity is imperative, as these will determine the activity in the desired application. Supported metal nanoparticles are widely employed in catalysis. Recent advances in controlling the shape and size of nanoparticles have opened the possibility to optimise the particle geometry for enhanced catalytic activity, providing the optimum size and surface properties for specific applications. This Review describes the state of the art with respect to the preparation and use of supported metal nanoparticles in catalysis. The main groups of such nanoparticles (noble and transition metal nanoparticles) are highlighted and future prospects are discussed.

Recent advances in immobilized metal catalysts for environmentally benign oxidation of alcohols

One of the most significant organic transformations in catalyst technology is the selective oxidation of alcohols. The acceleration of catalyst discovery in this field contributes to the economic and environmental impact in the production of useful materials. Heterogeneous catalysts combined with environmentally benign oxidants, such as molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, are major challenges of exploratory research in the oxidation of alcohols. A wide range of recoverable catalysts has now emerged for these oxidation reactions. In this Focus Review, we present an overview of recent developments in immobilized metal catalysts and evaluate the potential of transition metals in the heterogeneously catalyzed oxidation of alcohols.

Hierarchical magnetite/silica nanoassemblies as magnetically recoverable catalyst-supports

We report the synthesis of magnetically responsive hierarchical assemblies of silica colloids that can be used as recoverable supports for nanocatalysts. Each assembly is composed of a central magnetite/silica composite core and many small satellite silica spheres. The two regions are held together as a stable unit by a polymer network of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). The central magnetite particles are superparamagnetic at room temperature with strong magnetic response to external fields, thus providing a convenient means for separating the entire assembly from the solution. The satellite silica particles provide large surface areas for loading nanocatalysts through the well-developed silane chemistry. As an example, we demonstrate the use of such magnetically responsive hierarchical assemblies as recoverable supports for Au nanocatalysts for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH4.

Functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles with organic molecules: Loading level determination and evaluation of linker length effect on immobilization

A general method is introduced to immobilize organic molecules on magnetic nanoparticles through silanization reactions and determine the maximum loading level by UV-vis spectroscopy. Loading levels of 1.5 x 10(-3) mol per gram of nanoparticle were obtained with structurally diverse compounds such as rhodamine B and glucosamine. The length of the linker did not have a significant effect on loading as comparable maximum amounts of rhodamine B were immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles regardless of the linker length. Interestingly, rhodamine B derivatives lost conjugation during synthetic manipulations due to reversible spiroisobenzofuran formation. Full regeneration of conjugation was found to be slow with rhodamine B attached on magnetic nanoparticles. The results obtained from these studies will be useful for studying surface functionalization of MNPs in general.