Pd nanoparticles decorated on Schiff base-modified chitosan/CeO as a heterogeneous and retriable nanocatalyst for Heck reactions and remediation of environmental pollutants.

In this paper, we have developed a novel, highly active, eco-friendly, and versatile heterogeneous catalyst system in which Pd nanoparticles are decorated on Schiff base-modified chitosan‑cerium oxide particles (Pd@CS-CeO). In order to confirm the successful fabrication of Pd@CS-CeO, FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, TG/DTG, and EDS analyses were performed, and its performance was evaluated as a heterogeneous nanocatalyst in Heck coupling reaction and reduction of nitro compounds. The catalytic tests showed that the desired Heck products were readily produced by Pd@CS-CeO without being contaminated with the aryl iodides, bromides, and chlorides. Moreover, different nitro compounds were efficiently reduced to corresponding amino compounds by Pd@CS-CeO within 95-160 s. Thanks to the heterogeneous nature of Pd@CS-CeO catalyst, it was easily recovered via simple filtration and reused up to 5 successive runs by giving 88 % yield. Due to its good catalytic and reusability performance together with stability/durability, Pd@CS-CeO is promising candidate as a catalyst for various catalytic or organic reactions.