Imidazolium chloride-Co(iii) complex immobilized on Fe3O4@SiO2 as a highly active bifunctional nanocatalyst for the copper-, phosphine-, and base-free Heck and Sonogashira reactions

A heterogeneous, magnetically recoverable Fe3O4@SiO2@Im[Cl]Co(iii)-melamine nanocomposite was prepared by immobilization of a novel Co(iii) Schiff base complex on Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles followed by treatment with melamine, and was found to be an efficient catalyst for the Heck and Sonogashira reactions. The reactions were performed in the presence of the catalyst (0.5 mol% Co) along with Mn additive in the absence of any base, phosphine ligand, or Cu/co-catalyst in ethanol under reflux conditions. The nanocatalyst was well studied by FTIR, CHN, XRD, XPS, TGA, EDX, VSM, ICP, NMR, FE-SEM, TEM, BET, CV, and DLS analyses. The catalyst was compatible with a variety of substrates, with which all the Heck and Sonogashira coupling products were obtained in high to excellent yields. Also, protocols such as hot filtration, three-phase testing, and mercury poisoning provided a complete insight into the nature of the heterogeneous catalyst. The recycling and reuse of the catalyst were studied for both coupling reactions several times. Moreover, the mechanism of the coupling reactions was entirely investigated.