Good Suzuki-coupling reaction performance of Pd immobilized at the metal-free porphyrin-based covalent organic framework

•A N-atom rich porphyrin-based COF was afforded by solvothermal reaction.•The rich N atoms in H2P-Bph-COF stabilize the Pd ions inside the COF.•This Pd/H2P-Bph-COF displays remarkable catalytic activity.

Metal free 5,10,15,20-tetra(p-amino-phenyl)porphyrin (H2TAPP) with additional nitrogen atoms at the tetrapyrrole periphery was employed to construct a nitrogen-rich covalent organic framework (H2P-Bph-COF) with the help of 4,4′-biphenyldialdehyde under solvothermal condition. The abundant and periodically distributed N atoms in H2P-Bph-COF stabilize and uniformly disperse the Pd ions inside the COF structure, resulting in a remarkable catalytic activity towards the Suzuki-coupling reaction between bromoarenes and arylboronic acids under mild condition with high yield of 97.1–98.5%. The present result appears to extend the catalysis application of porphyrin-based COFs from radical or carbene participated oxidation reactions into the Suzuki-coupling reaction.

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