Magnetically separable Pd catalyst for carbonylative Sonogashira coupling reactions for the synthesis of alpha,beta-alkynyl ketones.

A magnetically separable palladium catalyst was simply synthesized through a wet impregnation incorporating palladium nanoparticles and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles in KBH4 solution, which is a highly efficient catalyst for the carbonylative Sonogashira coupling reaction of aryl iodides with terminal alkynes under phosphine-free conditions. This catalyst is completely magnetically recoverable due to the super paramagnetic behavior of Fe3O4 and can be reused with sustained selectivity and activity.