Water-medium and solvent-free organic reactions over a bifunctional catalyst with Au nanoparticles covalently bonded to HS/SO 3H functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica

Feng Xia Zhu, Wei Wang, He Xing Li

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

169 Scopus citations

Abstract

An operationally simple approach for the preparation of a new class of bifunctional Au nanoparticle-acid catalysts has been developed. In situ reduction of Au 3+ with HS-functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) creates robust, fine Au nanoparticles and concomitantly produces a sulfonic acid moiety strongly bonded to PMOs. Characterizations of the nanostructures reveal that Au nanoparticles are formed with uniformed, narrow size distribution around 1-2 nm, which is very critical for essential catalytic activities. Moreover, the Au nanoparticles are mainly attached onto the pore surface rather than onto the outer surface with ordered mesoporous channels, allowing for maximal exposure to reaction substrates while minimizing Au nanoparticle leaching. Their higher S BET, V P, and D P than either the Au-HS-PMO(Et) or the Au/SO 3H-PMO(Et) render the catalyst with comparably even higher catalytic efficiency than its homogeneous counterparts. Furthermore, the unique amphiphilic compartment of the Au-HS/SO 3H-PMO(Et) nanostructures enables organic reactions to proceed efficiently in a pure aqueous solution without using any organic solvents or even without water. As demonstrated experimentally, remarkably, the unique bifunctional Au-HS/SO 3H-PMO(Et) catalyst displays higher efficiencies in promoting water-medium alkyne hydration, intramolecular hydroamination, styrene oxidation, and three-component coupling reactions and even the solvent-free alkyne hydration process than its homogeneous catalysts. The robust catalyst can be easily recycled and used repetitively at least 10 times without loss of catalytic efficiency. These features render the catalyst particularly attractive in the practice of organic synthesis in an environmentally friendly manner.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)11632-11640
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume133
Issue number30
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 3 2011
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Water-medium and solvent-free organic reactions over a bifunctional catalyst with Au nanoparticles covalently bonded to HS/SO 3H functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this