Fe3O4 supported [Cu(ii)(met)(pro-H)2] complex as a novel nanomagnetic catalytic system for room temperature C–O coupling reactions

In this study, a newly-designed copper(ii) complex of metformin and l-proline which was immobilized on Fe3O4 MNPs was developed. The structure of the catalyst platform was fully characterized using spectroscopic analyses. Moreover, the catalytic activity of [Fe3O4@Cu(ii)(Met)(Pro-H)2] was investigated in a one-pot synthesis of a variety of functionalized ethers in reasonable to excellent yields through Ullman reaction in an aqueous environment using various aryl halides, phenol, and Cs2CO3 and without using any external Cu-reducing agents. Notably, gentle catalytic conditions, quick reaction times, applicability, low cost, and preventing dangerous chemicals and solvents during synthesis and catalytic application are some of the superior properties of the [Fe3O4@Cu(ii)(Met)(Pro-H)2] complex. Furthermore, the catalyst can be reused for several runs (at least eight times) without remarkable loss in efficiency.