Chitosan-supported palladium(0) catalyst for microwave-prompted Suzuki cross-coupling reaction in water

A chitosan-supported palladium (Pd) (0) catalyst was prepared by simple adsorption of palladium(II) ion onto chitosan beads and a subsequent reduction process. To maintain mechanical stability, the chitosan-supported palladium(0) catalyst was cross-linked with either glutaraldehyde or diglycidyl ether polyethylene glycol. The catalysts were utilized for the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction in water. The catalyst, in the presence of a tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) additive, showed excellent catalytic activity in microwave-prompted Suzuki cross-coupling reactions using various aryl halides and boronic acids. In addition, the catalyst was successfully reused up to five times without significant loss of catalytic activity.