Fabrication and Characterization of Copper (II) Complex Supported on Magnetic Nanoparticles as a Green and Efficient Nanomagnetic Catalyst for Synthesis of Diaryl Sulfones

A novel magnetically recoverable copper catalyst was successfully fabricated through the immobilization of Cu(OAc)₂ on the surface of silica-coated magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂) functionalized with amine and thiol groups as ligand. The as-fabricated Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-Imine/Thio-Cu(II) nanocomposite was fully characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, EDX, TEM, XRD, VSM, ASS and ICP-OES techniques. The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-Imine/Thio-Cu(II) nanocomposite exhibited high catalytic activity in the synthesis of biologically active diaryl sulfones. According to our research on the literature, this is the first report in the use of magnetic copper nanocatalyst for the synthesis of diaryl sulfones via sulfonylative Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. This method gives notable advantages such as easy separation of the catalyst by external magnetic field; excellent yields, short reaction times, nontoxic metal catalyst, and simplicity of operation make this method a facile tool for the synthesis of diaryl sulfones.