Imidazolium organometallic complex of palladium on Fe3O4 nanoparticles as selective and magnetically recoverable nanocatalyst for C‐C cross‐coupling reactions

Abstract

The synthesis of an efficient heterogeneous nanocatalyst was prepared by the anchoring of palladium complex on the surface of an imidazolium‐based ionic liquid‐functionalized Fe3O4 (Pd‐imidazolium@Fe3O4 NPs). The nanocatalyst, Pd‐imidazolium@Fe3O4 NPs, was characterized by Raman, X‐ray diffraction  (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. The catalytic performance of this novel nanocatalyst was evaluated in the Heck––Mizoroki and Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions under mild conditions using PEG‐400 as a green and biodegradable solvent. The nanocatalyst exhibited high catalytic activity for both cross‐coupling reactions. Furthermore, this stable nanocatalyst can be easily removed and recovered from the reaction mixture and reused for at least eight consecutive cycles without a discernible decrease in the catalytic activity. Also, the recovered Pd‐imidazolium@Fe3O4 NPs was characterized by FT‐IR, XRD, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy techniques.