Bio-supported palladium nanoparticles as a catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura and Mizoroki-Heck reactions

The biological synthesis of metal nanoparticles from ions has recently emerged as a novel technique for an environmentally benign recovery of heavy metals. Bacteria are known to recover palladium(0) in the form of nanoparticles that are catalytically active. However, the extent of the reactions that can be catalysed by bio-recovered palladium has not been investigated. This study demonstrates that the Suzuki-Miyaura and Mizoroki-Heck reactions can be catalysed by bio-generated palladium nanoparticles formed on the surface of Gram-negative bacteria. The results suggest that the range of applications of this catalyst can be extended to the realm of carbon-carbon bond formation in synthetic organic chemistry.