Bio-based palladium catalyst in cryogel for cross-coupling reactions†

Biobased catalysts play a crucial role in sustainable chemistry, using natural resources to support eco-friendly processes. While palladium catalysts are essential for various industrial applications, they often pose environmental challenges due to their non-reusability and tendency to degrade. To address these issues, we developed an innovative phenylalanine-based catalyst containing palladium (C-PhebPd) designed for the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction. The natural amino acids, used as monomers, chelate palladium, preventing leaching, unlike other heterogeneous catalysts that use palladium nanoparticles, which can be released over time, leading to catalyst degradation. Such catalyst exhibits outstanding performance in aqueous media at moderate temperatures, facilitating cross-coupling reactions between various aryl halides and arylboronic acids with high yields of up to 99%. The affordable synthetic procedure and C-PhebPd's stability make it potentially scalable for industrial applications. The robustness of this catalyst was also proved by recyclability tests up to seven cycles. Further investigation into its capabilities could unlock additional insights for various catalytic transformations.