Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles-N-heterocyclic carbene-palladium(II): a new, efficient and robust recyclable catalyst for Mizoroki-Heck and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions

A new and efficient nanoparticle-N-heterocyclic carbene-palladium complex was synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, elemental analysis, inductively coupled plasma analysis and vibrating sample magnetometry. This catalytic system was found to be a highly active catalyst in the Mizoroki-Heck and Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. These reactions were best performed in dimethylformamide and water, respectively, in the presence of only 0.054mol% of palladium under mild conditions. Moreover, the catalyst could be recovered easily and reused at least ten times without any considerable loss of its catalytic activity. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.