Ni/rGO: An Efficient Heterogeneous Catalytic System for Carbonylative Suzuki Coupling and Alkoxy Carbonylation Reactions with Co₂(CO)₈ as a Solid C1 Source

The current work presents the synthesis, characterization, and application of nickel-supported reduced graphene oxide (Ni/rGO) as an efficient catalyst for carbonylation reactions. In this work, Ni/rGO was successfully established as a highly effective, durable, and reusable catalyst for both carbonylative Suzuki coupling and alkoxy carbonylation processes utilizing cobalt carbonyl, Co₂(CO)₈ as a solid carbon monoxide (CO) source. Diaryl ketones and aryl alkyl esters were selectively synthesized in good to outstanding yield. Furthermore, the catalyst is easily recoverable and may be reused five times without significantly decreasing reactivity. The fresh and reused Ni/rGO catalysts were characterized using various methods, comprising XRD, XPS, FE-SEM, TEM, EDX, and TGA. The current procedure is devoid of harmful CO gas. Additionally, the use of earth-abundant and reusable nickel metal catalysts reveals the environmentally benign features of this protocol.