Supported Gold Nanoparticle Catalyzed Cross-coupling of Alkoxysilanes and Aryl Halides

Gold nanoparticles, being highly recyclable and benign in nature, are nowadays emerging as an attractive choice in various catalytic reactions. Fluoride free coupling of organosilane reagents with aryl halides is an environment-friendly protocol for the formation of C-C bond. Here, we present the coupling of phenyltrimethoxysilane with various aryl halides in ethanol/water mixture, catalyzed by gold nanoparticles under microwave heating. The effect of various parameters, such as catalyst concentration, base, time, temperature etc. on the reaction was investigated. Excellent activity of catalyst is indicated in terms of TON (1,666) and TOF (10,036 h-1). This new result will undoubtedly expand the application of gold nanoparticles in organic catalytic reactions.