Synthesis of magnetic chitosan supported metformin-Cu(II) complex as a recyclable catalyst for N-arylation of primary sulfonamides

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.

Chitosan-supported metal nanocatalysts for the reduction of nitroaromatics

The second most abundant natural polymer in the earth's crust is chitosan (CS). The unique physical, chemical, structural, and mechanical features of this natural polymer have led to its increased application in a variety of fields such as medicine, catalysis, removal of pollutants, etc. To eliminate various pollutants, it is preferable to employ natural compounds as their use aids the removal of contaminants from the environment. Consequently, employing CS to eliminate contaminants is a viable choice. For this aim, CS can be applied as a template and support for metal nanoparticles (MNPs) and prevent the accumulation of MNPs as well as a reducing and stabilizing agent for the fabrication of MNPs. Among the pollutants present in nature, nitro compounds are an important and wide category of biological pollutants. 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) is one of the nitro pollutants. There are different ways for the removal of 4-NP, but the best and most effective method for this purpose is the application of a metallic catalyst and a reducing agent. In this review, we report the recent developments regarding CS-supported metallic (nano)catalysts for the reduction of nitroaromatics such as nitrophenols, nitroaniline compounds, nitrobenzene, etc. in the presence of reducing agents. The metals investigated in this study include Ag, Au, Ni, Cu, Ru, Pt, Pd, etc.