Gelatin as a bioorganic reductant, ligand and support for palladium nanoparticles. Application as a catalyst for ligand- and amine-free Sonogashira-Hagihara reaction.

Palladium nanoparticles were deposited and reduced by gelatin as a safe edible, naturally occurring and cheap support. No extra reducing agents were used for the generation of Pd(0) nanoparticles from the Pd(II) salt. The nanoparticles of Pd supported on gelatin were characterized by SEM, TEM and AFM images, UV-Vis and XRD spectra and the amount of palladium entrapped in the gelatin was measured by ICP and atomic absorption analysis. The nanoparticles showed high catalytic activity for the Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling reaction of various aryl iodides, bromides and chlorides as well as heteroaryl halides and also β-bromo styrene with phenylacetylene under copper-, ligand- and amine-free conditions. The reactions were carried out at 100 °C in molten tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) or polyethylene glycol (PEG400) in the presence of potassium acetate as a base in argon atmosphere. Dimerization of phenylacetylene applying similar conditions in air is also described.