Palladium nanoparticles supported on polyvinylpyridine: Catalytic activity in Heck-type reactions and XPS structural studies

Palladium nanoparticles, obtained by metal vapour synthesis (MVS), were deposited on cross-linked polyvinylpyridine. The Pd/PVPy system showed high catalytic activity in the Heck Csingle bondC coupling reaction of iodo- and bromo-arenes (iodobenzene, bromobenzene, p-nitrobromobenzene, p-bromoacetophenone, p-(methoxy)bromobenzene) with alkyl acrylates (methyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl trans-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)acrylate) at 100 °C–175 °C working under nitrogen atmosphere as well as in air. The catalyst is stable and the leaching of metal in solution is very low. When reused, the recovered Pd/PVPy maintains the catalytic activity of the pristine material. XPS structural studies performed on the starting catalyst as well as on the recovered one indicate the presence of a interaction between the basic nitrogen of the pyridine present in the polymer and the metal.