Nanomagnetic Salamo-based-Pd(0) Complex: an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura and Heck cross-coupling reactions in aqueous medium

In order to develop a magnetic nanocatalyst, an asymmetric salamo-based-Palladium(0) complex grafted on Fe₃O₄ MNPs was synthesized and characterized using physicochemical methods including FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, ICP-AES, X-ray mapping, TGA and VSM analyses. Catalytic activities of [Fe₃O₄@H₂L-Pd (0)] were examined towards two catalytic reactions: a) synthesis of biaryls via the Suzuki C-C cross-coupling of phenylboronic acid with aryl halides and b) one-pot synthesis of butyl cinnamates via the Heck C-C cross-coupling of butyl acrylate with aryl halides under green conditions in aqueous medium. Moreover, the effects of the catalyst amount, reaction temperature, type of the solvent and nature of base on catalytic activity were investigated. The [Fe₃O₄@H₂L-Pd⁽⁰⁾] nanocatalyst was recycled for at least six consecutive reaction cycles without a significant loss of its catalytic activity. This illustrates the sustainable anchoring of palladium(0) on Fe₃O₄.