Periodic mesoporous organosilica grafted palladium organometallic complex: efficient heterogeneous catalyst for water‐medium organic reactions

Abstract

AbstractWater‐medium organic reactions were studied over periodic mesoporous silica (PMO) containing Pd(II) organometallic complex. This heterogeneous catalyst was achieved by Pd(II) compound coordinated with the PPh2‐ligand onto the pore surface of phenylene‐bridged PMO support. This catalyst displayed ordered mesoporous channels, which ensured the high dispersion of Pd(II) active sites and the convenient diffusion of reactant molecules into the pore channels. Meanwhile, the phenyl group in the pore wall of PMO could enhance the surface hydrophobicity which promoted the adsorption of organic reactant molecules on the catalyst in aqueous environment. As a result, this elaborated catalyst exhibited comparable activity and selectivity with the corresponding PdCl2(PPh3)2 homogeneous catalyst in the water‐medium organic reactions, and could be used repeatedly, showing a good potential in industrial applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.