Homogeneous Recyclable Catalysts Based on Metal Nanoparticles for Organic Synthesis

Over the past decade, metal nanoparticles as homogeneous catalysts have attracted extensive attention for organic transformations. The metal nanoparticles as supports enhance catalyst loadings and facilitate the catalyst recovery. As active parts, metal nanoparticles stabilized by polymers and dendrimers usually witness drastically improved catalytic efficiency. Chiral molecular ligands modified metal nanoparticles endow chiral induction for asymmetric transformations. Consequently, the use of metal nanoparticles as supports or active parts provides a technically alternative approach over classical homogeneous catalysis, including hydrogenation, oxidation, carbon- carbon coupling reactions, asymmetric alkylation and asymmetric hydrosilylation etc. This brief review emphasizes on recent developments in this emerging area, covering types of stabilizers for preparing metal nanoparticles, catalytic efficiency, recyclability, enantioselectivity and catalytic mechanism.