SPIONs-bis(NHC)-palladium(II): A novel, powerful and efficient catalyst for Mizoroki–Heck and Suzuki–Miyaura C–C coupling reactions

•A novel, stable and powerful nano Pd-NHC complex was synthesized.•We examined Mizoroki–Heck and Suzuki–Miyaura cross coupling reactions with extremely low palladium loading.•These cross coupled products were produced in excellent yields under conventional heating and microwave irradiation.•The nano-Pd-NHC catalyst shows high turnover frequencies.•The catalyst was recovered by external magnetic field and was reused for seven reaction cycles.

A novel, stable and powerful nano Pd-NHC complex utilizing N-methylimidazole bounded to 1,3,5-triazine-tethered SPIONs (superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles) as a bidentate NHC ligand is reported. This well-defined complex was used as an efficient (NHC)-based catalyst for Mizoroki–Heck and Suzuki–Miyaura cross coupling reactions. These cross coupled products were produced in excellent yields under conventional heating or microwave irradiation at extremely low palladium loading (∼0.002 mol%) with perfect high turnover frequencies (TOFs) (103–106 h−1). Moreover, the catalyst could be quickly and completely recovered by external magnetic field and be reused for seven reaction cycles without any change in catalytic activity.

Graphical abstractSPIONs-bis(NHC)-palladium(II): A novel, powerful and efficient catalyst for Mizoroki–Heck and Suzuki–Miyaura C–C coupling reactions.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (130 K)Download as PowerPoint slide