Synthesis and characterization of copper nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide as a highly active and recyclable catalyst for the synthesis of formamides and primary amines

• Formamidation and amination of different arylboronic acids using rGO/Cu NPs.
• The catalyst was characterized using the powder XRD, SEM, BET and EDS spectroscopy.
• Catalyst can be easily recovered and reused.
• Operational simplicity, short reaction times and high yields.

We report here the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide supported copper nanoparticles (rGO/Cu NPs) from copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate and graphite precursors using a simple protocol. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The rGO/Cu NPs is proved to be a useful heterogeneous catalyst in Cu-catalyzed formamidation and amination of arylboronic acids. The catalyst can be recovered by simple filtration from the reaction mixture and reused several times without significant loss of catalytic activity.

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