High surface and magnetically recoverable mPANI/pFe3O4 nanocomposites for C-S bond formation in water

A high surface area mPANI/pFe(3)O(4) nanocomposite from mesoporous polyaniline and porous magnetic Fe3O4 was used as a catalyst in the S-arylation of thiophenol with aryl chlorides and in the C-S bond formation between aryl iodides and thiourea in water. The mesoporosity of the polyaniline enhances the efficiency and stability of the porous magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles in both coupling reactions. The mPANI/pFe(3)O(4) nanocomposite can be recovered with an external magnet and reused several times due to the superparamagnetic nature of the porous Fe3O4 nanoparticles.