Palladium-free and phosphine-free Sonogashira coupling reaction of aryl halides with terminal alkynes catalyzed by boehmite nanoparticle-anchored Cu(I) diethylenetriamine complex

In this work, a novel diethylenetriamine-functionalized-boehmite nanoparticle-supported Cu(I) catalyst is synthesized. The catalyst prepared is then characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma techniques. The catalyst prepared shows great activity in the Sonogashira coupling reaction of aryl halides with terminal alkynes in DMF under an argon atmosphere. Moreover, it could be removed from the reaction mixture by means of simple filtration and used again for up to six runs without an appreciable loss in its activity.