Polymer-Covered Magnetic Nanoparticles as a Palladium Pickering Interfacial Catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction Performed in a Water Environment

The purpose of our research was to construct heterogeneous catalysts which will be active in a water environment and easily separable. Herein, we present the process of preparation of the Pickering interfacial catalyst by application of surface-initiated polymerization (SI-RAFT/MADIX) for magnetic nanoparticle (NP) modification. As a result, magnetic NPs covered by the amphiphilic polymeric layer were obtained and then modified by palladium to form the catalyst active in Suzuki-Miyaura reactions. The activity of the presented catalyst was checked in the Suzuki reaction performed in water (biphasic reaction) for hydrophobic substances. Our approach allows us to prepare biphasic systems without the usage of the standard surfactant. Pickering interfacial catalysis plays a dual role?it stabilizes emulsion and carries the palladium catalyst. Our system is active in low temperature and low concentration (1 mol %). The pure product is obtained after applying non-demanding methods (e.g., precipitation and extraction).