A highly stable and efficient magnetically recoverable and reusable Pd nanocatalyst in aqueous media heterogeneously catalysed Suzuki C–C cross‐coupling reactions

Surface modification of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with triethoxyethylcyanide groups was used for the immobilization of palladium nanoparticles to produce Fe₃O₄/Ethyl‐CN/Pd. The catalyst was characterized using Fourier transform infrared, wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray, energy‐dispersive X‐ray and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies, field‐emission scanning electron and transmission electron microscopies, and X‐ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry and inductively coupled plasma analyses. In this fabrication, cyano groups played an important role as a capping agent. The catalytic behaviour of Fe₃O₄/Ethyl‐CN/Pd nanoparticles was measured in the Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction of various aryl halides (Ar? I, Ar? Br, Ar? Cl) with phenylboronic acid in aqueous phase at room temperature. Interestingly, the novel catalyst could be recovered in a facile manner from the reaction mixture by applying an external magnet device and recycled seven times without any significant loss in activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.