Zeolite-encaged palladium catalysts for heterogeneous Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions

Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction by homogeneous Pd complex is a powerful route to construct carbon-carbon bond and is now widely applied in the synthesis of functional organic compounds. Heterogeneous Pd catalysts are highly desired as alternatives to homogeneous ones due to their facile reusability and good compatibility. Herein, zeolite-encaged Pd particles, namely Pd@MFI, have been successfully prepared via an in-situ hydrothermal strategy and investigated as promising heterogeneous catalysts for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. Characterization results demonstrate that high dispersed Pd particles with apparent sizes of 1–2 nm have been encaged in and efficiently stabilized by the matrix of MFI zeolite. The as-prepared Pd@MFI catalysts are active in the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction between bromobenzene and phenylboronic acid, and the presence of basic sites adjacent to Pd sites are crucial to achieving high catalytic activity via effective cooperation. Pd@K-ZSM-5 can be optimized for the coupling between bromobenzene and phenylboronic acid and can catalyze the reaction with a low apparent activation energy value of 41.2 kJ/mol. Pd@K-ZSM-5 also shows good stability and can be recycled for at least five times without obvious loss in activity, demonstrating its great potential as a heterogeneous catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. Encapsulation of metal species in zeolite matrix offers a big opportunity to the heterogenization of homogeneous metal catalysts for practical chemical transformations.