Synthesis of dendrimers terminated by DABCO ligands and applications of its palladium nanoparticles for catalyzing Suzuki–Miyaura and Mizoroki–Heck couplings

A new kind of silica-supported third-generation dendrimers capped by 1,4-diaza-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) group-stabilized palladium(0) nanoparticles, and their enhanced catalytic activity in Suzuki–Miyaura and Mizoroki–Heck reactions in excellent yield under mild conditions, was reported. The resulting silica-supported dendrimer-stabilized palladium(0) nanoparticles with a particle size of 10–20 nm were prepared in situ by treatment with PdCl₂ and hydrazine in ethanol at 60 °C for 24 h. The catalyst as prepared was characterized by FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, elementary analysis (EA), scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Recycling experiments showed that the catalyst could be easily recovered by simple filtration and reused for up to five cycles without losing its activity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.