Chelation-directed C-H activation/C-C bond forming reactions catalyzed by Pd(ii) nanoparticles supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

Chelation-directed C-H activation/C-C bond forming reactions utilizing homogeneous palladium(ii) and the Pd(ii)/Pd(iv) catalytic cycle have been previously reported. Here we report the first use of a solid-supported Pd(ii) catalyst [Pd(ii) nanoparticles on multiwalled carbon nanotubes, Pd(ii)/MWCNT] to carry out C-H activation/C-C bond forming reactions. The results presented demonstrate that the solid-supported Pd(ii)/MWCNT catalyst can effectively catalyze these arylation reactions using the Pd(ii)/Pd(iv) catalytic cycle. We also show that the solid-supported catalyst is recyclable, has turnover frequencies up to 2.9-fold higher than the homogeneous catalyst, and results in low levels of residual palladium contamination in the products.