An expedient synthesis of resveratrol through a highly recoverable palladium catalyst

A straightforward two-step synthesis of resveratrol is described, with total isolated yields in the range of 75-80%. The key synthetic step, a Heck-Mizoroki C-C cross-coupling reaction, is efficiently promoted by a heterogeneous catalyst consisting of palladium nanoparticles supported on synthetic clay. This solid catalyst is quite handy and displays high stability and robustness under reaction conditions. The catalyst can be easily recovered and reused at least 10 times, which improves the overall catalytic efficiency of the system. Moreover, the use of solvents is limited, and the reaction procedure allows a facile separation and purification of the desired product, free from the concomitant ionic by-product and from palladium contamination. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.