Ferromagnetic nanoparticle-supported copper complex: A highly efficient and reusable catalyst for three-component syntheses of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles and C-S coupling of aryl halides

A new nanocatalyst was synthesized by immobilization of 4'-(4-hydroxyphenyl)2,2':6', 2 ''-terpyridine/CuI complex on ferromagnetic nanoparticles through a surface modification (FMNPs@SiO2-TPy-Cu). This heterogeneous catalyst was characterized using various techniques including Fourier transform infrared and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopies, transmission and scanning electron microscopies, X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry and thermogravimetric analysis. The resulting nanocatalyst presented excellent catalytic activity for the regioselective syntheses of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles and thioethers. The thermally and chemically stable, benign and economical catalyst was easily recovered using an external magnet and reused in at least five successive runs without an appreciable loss of activity.