Cu(II) anchored nitrogen-rich covalent imine network (Cu-II-CIN-1): an efficient and recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of organoselenides from aryl boronic acids in a green solvent

A new heterogeneous copper catalyst has been synthesized by immobilizing Cu(II) onto the surface of a nitrogen rich porous covalent imine network material CIN-1 and it was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), EDAX, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N-2 adsorption-desorption, UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric (TGA), and EPR spectroscopic analyses. The material has been successfully used to catalyze the cross-coupling reaction between aryl boronic acids and diphenyldiselenide to synthesize unsymmetrical organoselenides. Due to its high surface area and highly accessible catalytic sites, it shows good to excellent catalytic activity for the C-Se bond forming reaction, which was evident from the high TOF of the catalyst in this reaction. The catalyst was recycled for six repetitive runs without any appreciable loss of catalytic activity suggesting its potential usefulness in C-Se bond forming reaction.