A Novel and Efficient Magnetically Recoverable Copper Catalyst for Synthesis of Symmetrical Diaryl Selenides and Sulfides

Abstract

Diaryl sulfides and selenides are ubiquitous chemical structures found in natural products, synthetic organic semiconductors, agricultural, and various biologically active molecules. Therefore, the development of novel and efficient catalytic systems for the preparation of diaryl sulfides and selenides is an important challenge in organic synthesis. In this paper, we wish to report the construction of a novel and efficient nanomagnetic copper nanocatalyst through the immobilization of Cu(OAc)2 on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles modified with Imine-Thiazole as ligand. The as-fabricated Fe3O4@SiO2-(Imine-Thiazole)-Cu(OAc)2 nanocomposite shown high catalytic activity in the C-Se (83%-98%) and C-S bond formation at 100 °C. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of magnetically reusable copper nanocatalyst for the synthesis of diaryl selenides and sulfides via the reaction of triarylbismuthanes with elemental Se or S powder under aerobic conditions. Recycling experiments revealed that the copper nanocatalyst could be easily recovered by a simple magnetic separation and recycled at least eight times without deterioration in catalytic activity.