Dynamic functionalised metallogel: An approach to immobilised catalysis with improved activity

Abstract: A metal–organic gel (MOG) route to immobilised catalysts has been developed based on the reversibility of coordination bond formation in a Fe3+–carboxylate MOG. The ferric gel was rationally designed based on a bifunctional ligand, 5-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (L1), in which the imidazole N atom may further bind to a soft ion like Pd2+ more strongly due to the HSAB matching. Palladium(II) was successfully loaded in the gel to yield a supported coordination catalyst. Compared with its homogeneous counterparts, the immobilised gel catalyst exhibited significantly improved catalytic activity under mild conditions as shown in Suzuki–Miyaura C–C coupling, and could be reused for several times. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]