Design and preparation of Cu-anchored polymeric carbon nitride (Cu/PCN) mesoporous nanotubes: An efficient catalyst for Buchwald-Hartwig coupling of pyrimidines

By calcining melamine with Cu(NO3)(2)center dot 3H(2)O, Cu-anchored polymeric carbon nitride (Cu/PCN) was prepared. SEM and TEM images demonstrated this material was constituted by PCN nanotubes with ca 50 nm diameters involving a variety of ca 5-10 nm-sized mesoporous substructures. The unique porous structures allowed sufficient contact of the reactants with the catalytic Cu sites, resulting in superior catalytic activities of the material over traditional catalysts in Buchwald-Hartwig coupling of pyrimidines, which was a significant transformation in pharmaceutical industry.