Heterogeneous copper-free Sonogashira coupling reaction catalyzed by a reusable palladium Schiff base complex in water

Heterogeneous Sonogashira coupling of terminal alkynes with aryl halides was studied over a polymer-supported macrocyclic Schiff base palladium complex. The cross-coupling reaction proceeded smoothly by adding a piperidine in water medium. The catalyst exhibited effective catalytic activities to afford the corresponding products in good to excellent yields under copper-free conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst could be easily recovered and reused for several times without a significant loss of its activity.