Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by efficient and recyclable Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2–Pd(II) catalyst

• The Pd(II) catalyst is easy to prepare with low cost.
• This new catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture to reuse.
• The catalyst showed high activity for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross coupling reaction.

In this study, a novel Pd(II) complex functionalized core–shell magnetic mesoporous catalyst (Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2–Pd(II)) was synthesized by a simple cost effective procedure. It was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and nitrogen physical adsorption. The Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2–Pd(II) catalyst offered high surface area and exhibited excellent activity towards Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of halides with aryl boronic acids in ethanol in air. The Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2–Pd(II) catalyst was stable, reusable, and conveniently recovered by applying an external magnetic field. Moreover, it provided 91% conversion after the sixth catalytic run. The Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2–Pd(II) catalyst examined in this study combined both the efficiency of a homogeneous catalyst and the durability of a heterogeneous catalyst. The results revealed that the Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2–Pd(II) catalyst is promising as a candidate for various Pd-based catalytic applications.