Construction and Characterization of Magnetic Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles Supported Palladium Complex: Research on Synthesis of Aryl Nitriles and Tetrazoles

During the last decade, research on the preparation of nano-catalysts, especially magnetic nano-catalysts, and their application in chemical reactions has become an attractive topic in organic synthesis. Nitriles are valuable compounds that are important in industrial, biological, and pharmaceutical processes. On the other hand, tetrazoles are heterocyclic compounds that have valuable pharmacological and biological properties. Therefore, developing new, environmentally friendly, and efficient catalytic systems for synthesizing nitriles and tetrazoles is needed. In this research work, we successfully fabricated Pd (0) complex immobilized on Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles modified with 3-amino-2-(aminomethyl)propanoic acid and imidazole [Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-AAPA/Imid-Pd(0)] and investigated its catalytic activity in the preparation of aryl nitriles and 5-substituted-1H-tetrazoles from aryl iodides. In this attractive methodology, we first prepared different aryl nitrile derivatives from the cyanation of aryl halides and then prepared a broad range of 5-substituted-1H-tetrazoles through the condensation of the as-prepared aryl nitriles with sodium azide. The experimental results revealed that this catalyst could be reused for more than 8 consecutive runs without losing activity. Among the outstanding features of this method for the synthesis of aryl nitriles and tetrazoles, the following can be mentioned: the synthesis of products with high yields in suitable times, performing the reactions in an environmentally friendly solvent, the applicability of the method for a wide range from the substrates, easy separation of the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-AAPA/Imid-Pd(0) catalyst from the reaction mixture and high reusability of the catalyst.