Carbon-supported statistically distributed polyethyleneimine/palladium (II) complexes as efficient and sustainable Sonogashira catalysts

A novel approach toward the obtaining of a Pd (II) carbon-supported catalyst based on a statistical distributed polymer (hyperbranched polyethyleneimine) and its use as a highly efficient and sustainable catalyst for Sonogashira-type coupling reactions is presented. The heterogenous Pd (II)/HBPEI catalyst fabricated through a facile, cost-effective and scalable procedure provides an innovative catalyst structure based on statistical distributed singular catalytic centers with well-defined Pd-Polymer chemical interactions, highly resistant to suffer leaching processes and extensively and homogenously distributed across the whole carbon surface. The catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic and recycling activity for several cross-coupling reactions between different aryl halides and terminal alkynes, free of any undesired by-product and in excellent yields, under air atmosphere, using water as solvent, at moderate temperatures (65 °C) and avoiding the use of phosphine derivatives, Cu(I) as co-catalyst and excess of any of the reactant. Therefore, the reported Pd(II)-HBPEI carbon-supported material can be considered a truly competitive heterogeneous Pd(II) catalyst for large-scale under green chemistry conditions.