Nanoparticle-catalyzed green synthetic chemistry ... in water ...

Pre-catalyst nanoparticles (NPs) can be derived from FeCl3 and methyl Grignard that contain ppm levels of Pd and an associated ligand. By varying the amount of precious metal and the nature of the phosphine ligand, different C-C bond -forming reactions can be catalyzed in an aqueous medium containing very small amounts (2 wt %) of the designer sur-factant TPGS-750-M. Reactions mediated by these NPs include Suzuki-Miyaura, Sonogashira, Mizoroki-Heck, and Negishi couplings, as well as other couplings that have appeared in the recent literature. Also included in the discus-sion are nitro group reductions that require even less Pd and no ligand for activity, as well as ppm Cu-containing NPs that catalyze click reactions in water at rt.

Automated summary

Pre-catalyst nanoparticles can catalyze various C-C bond-forming reactions in an aqueous medium with the presence of a designer synthetic surfactant. These reactions include Suzuki-Miyaura, Sonogashira, Mizoroki-Heck, and Negishi couplings, as well as others. Additionally, nitro group reductions and click reactions can also be catalyzed with these nanoparticles using small amounts of palladium and copper.