Highly Active, Selective, and Reusable RuO2/SWCNT Catalyst for Heck Olefination of Aryl Halides

Very fine RuO2 nanopartides (RuO(2)NPs) with a mean diameter of about 0.9 nm were decorated on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by a straightforward "dry synthesis" method. TEM images and the Raman spectrum of the resultant material (RuO2/SWCNT) revealed excellent adhesion and homogeneous dispersion of the RuO(2)NPs on anchoring sites of the SVVCNTs. The surface area of RuO2/SWCNT was found to be 416 m(2) g(-1). The SEM-EDS results showed that the weight percentage of Ru in RuO2/SWCNT was 13.8%. The oxidation state of Ru in RuO2/SWCNT was +4, as confirmed by XPS and XRD analyses. After the complete characterization, a 0.9 mol % loading of RuO2/SWCNT was used as a nanocatalyst for the Heck olefination of a wide range of aryl halides to yield products in excellent yields with good turnover numbers and turnover frequencies. Less reactive bromo- and chloroarenes were also used for the formation of coupled products in good yields. RuO2/SWCNT is regioselective, chemoselective, heterogeneous in nature, and reusable. The stability of RuO2/SWCNT was also studied by means of TEM, ICP-MS, SEM EDS, and XPS analyses.