A simple, efficient and recyclable catalytic system for carbon–sulfur coupling of aryl halides with thioacetamide

•The MCM-41-2N-CuI complex could be conveniently prepared by a simple procedure.•This heterogeneous copper catalyst exhibited higher catalytic activity than CuI.•This copper catalyst can be reused for 10 times without any decrease in activity.•Our catalytic system provides a practical route for the synthesis of diaryl sulfides.

The carbon–sulfur coupling reaction of aryl halides with thioacetamide using an MCM-41-immobilized bidentate nitrogen copper(I) complex [MCM-41-2N-CuI] as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst is described. Developed catalytic system is found to be effective for the coupling reaction of aryl halides with thioacetamide providing moderate to high yield of diaryl sulfides. This heterogeneous copper catalyst exhibits higher activity than CuI and can be recovered by a simple filtration of the reaction solution and reused for at least 10 consecutive trials without any decreases in activity.

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