Supported ultra small palladium on magnetic nanoparticles used as catalysts for suzuki cross-coupling and heck reactions

Application of transition metal nanoparticles as catalysts for organic transformations has been attracting wide interest as nanoparticle-based catalytic systems might exhibit superior catalytic activities than the corresponding bulk materials. However, the main difficulty is that such small particles are almost impossible to separate by conventional means, which can lead to the blocking of filters and valves by the nanoparticle catalyst. We have conveniently prepared ultra small palladium(0) particles (less than 1 nm) on magnetic nanoparticle supports, in which immobilized auxiliaries are used as stabilizing ligands. These catalysts were active for Suzuki cross-coupling and Heck reactions giving isolated yields of 83% and 56%, respectively. In addition, the catalyst can be easily separated using a magnet and reused several times with sustained activity.