Copper(I) stabilized on N,N′-methylene bis-acrylamide crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone: An efficient reusable catalyst for click synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles in water

N,N '-methylene bis-acrylamide crosslinked N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVPMBA) polymer was prepared via suspension polymerization technique and used as a polymeric support for the reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I). It was observed that NVPMBA matrix facilitated the stabilization of Cu(I) particles. Furthermore, the copper supported polymer catalyst (CuNVPMBA) was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis, transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and derivative thermogravimetry analysis. SEM showed that both the polymer and CuNVPMBA exhibit a spherical morphology. TEM revealed that copper nanoparticles formed on the polymer surface have an average particle size of 5.14 nm. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of Cu(I) and Cu(II) in the ratio 1:2. The copper content in CuNVPMBA was found to be 1.25 wt%. CuNVPMBA was found to be very effective in promoting the click reaction between terminal alkynes and azides in aqueous media in the absence of ascorbate or external base under mild conditions to form 1,2,3-triazoles in excellent yield with a copper loading as low as 0.2 mol%. The catalyst could be reused and recycled several times without significant loss of catalytic activity.