Suzuki cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by palladium nanoparticles in aqueous solution

Palladium nanoparticles stabilized by poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) are efficient catalysts for the Suzuki reactions in aqueous medium. The time dependence of the fluorescence intensity of the biphenyl product in the reaction between iodobenzene and phenylboronic acid is used to determine the initial rate of the catalytic reaction. The initial rate depends linearly on the concentration of Pd catalyst, suggesting that the catalytic reaction occurs on the surface of the Pd nanoparticles.