Development of a convoluted polymeric nanopalladium catalyst:: α-alkylation of ketones and ring-opening alkylation of cyclic 1,3-diketones with primary alcohols

A novel solid-phase catalyst of palladium nanoparticles, nano-Pd-V, was prepared from PdCl2 with main-chain viologen polymers via complexation and reduction. This insoluble nanocatalyst nano-Pd-V efficiently promoted alpha-alkylation of ketones with primary alcohols in the presence of Ba(OH)(2) center dot H2O under atmospheric conditions without organic solvents. The nano-Pd-V catalyst was reused without loss of catalytic activity. Ring-opening alkylation of cyclic 1,3-diketones with primary alcohols was also catalyzed by the nano-Pd-V catalyst. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.