Catalytically Active Palladium Nanoparticle-Cored Ferrocenyl-Terminated Dendrimers

Nanoparticle-cored (NP-cored) ferrocenyl dendrimers are precise multifunctional supramolecular nanomaterials owing to their active central and terminal groups and high (1 -> 3) branching connectivity. For instance, catalysis in the interior of the metallodendrimer remains intriguing, especially because sulfur ligands have the reputation to inhibit catalytic reactions on surfaces. A nonaferrocenyl thiol dendron, 1, was utilized to prepare PdNP-cored metallodendrimers (FcD-PdNPs) 2, which were characterized by H-1, C-13 NMR and FTIR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and TEM. The ratio of precursor complex [PdCl2(MeCN)(2)] to dendron 1 was demonstrated to play a key role in the effectiveness of 2 as catalyst in Suzuki-Miyaura and styrene hydrogenation reactions, and a ratio of 5: 1 optimized intradendritic catalytic activity for styrene hydrogenation at room temp. and 1 atm H-2.