Synthesis of a Cellulosic Pd(salen)-Type Catalytic Complex as a Green and Recyclable Catalyst for Cross-Coupling Reactions

A green recyclable cellulose-supported Pd(salen)-type catalyst was synthesized through sequential three steps: chlorination with thionyl chloride, modification by ethylenediamine, and the formation of Schiff base with salicylaldehyde to immobilize palladium chloride through multiple binding sites. This novel heterogeneous cellulosic Pd(salen)-type catalytic complex was fully characterized by FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XPS, ICP-AES and TG. The traditional cross-coupling chemistry, such as Suzuki, Heck, Sonogashira, Buchwald–Hartwig amination and etherification, was then investigated in the presence of the above cellulose-palladium nanoparticle. Studies have shown that the synthesized catalyst shows high activity and efficiency for all types of transformations, providing the corresponding carbon–carbon or carbon–heteroatom coupling products in a general and mild manner. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrates high to excellent yields and is easily recycled by simple filtration for up to twelve cycles without any significant loss of catalytic activity.