Chitosan-supported palladium(0) catalyst for microwave-prompted Suzuki cross-coupling reaction in water

A chitosan-supported palladium (Pd) (0) catalyst was prepared by simple adsorption of palladium(II) ion onto chitosan beads and a subsequent reduction process. To maintain mechanical stability, the chitosan-supported palladium(0) catalyst was cross-linked with either glutaraldehyde or diglycidyl ether polyethylene glycol. The catalysts were utilized for the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction in water. The catalyst, in the presence of a tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) additive, showed excellent catalytic activity in microwave-prompted Suzuki cross-coupling reactions using various aryl halides and boronic acids. In addition, the catalyst was successfully reused up to five times without significant loss of catalytic activity. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.