Sonogashira reactions catalyzed by water-soluble, β-cyclodextrin-capped palladium nanoparticles

The Sonogashira reaction was efficiently catalyzed by beta-cyclodextrin-capped Pd nanoparticles (beta-CD/Pd) in aqueous solution at room temperature. In addition, PPh3 was not necessary to be present in the reaction media, and CuI, one major requirement for the typical homogeneous Sonogashira reaction, could be completely omitted without affecting the catalytic activity of beta-CD/Pd nanoparticles. This study offers a new example of using beta-CD-capped metal nanoparticles as a novel nanocatalyst for catalytic organic reaction in aqueous solution.