Development of a highly active and reusable heterogeneous catalyst based on ZnS-doped Ni (5%) for Suzuki cross-coupling reactions

This paper reports the preparation and characterization of the coupling of aryl halides with arylboronic acids using a new nanomaterial catalyst Ni(5%): ZnS synthesized in the aqueous phase. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows the formation of the cubic zinc blende phase, with a particle size of about 3 nm confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy with a high catalytic activity in a water/DMF mixture. However, the ultrasonic activations result in better yields and reaction times. These results prove that the Ni(5%): ZnS nanomaterial is a potential catalyst in the development of green synthesis and that coupling reactions, that proved to be economical, are of paramount importance in industrial applications. In every case, the regioselectivity of the reaction is established on 1 H-NMR data. We therefore propose a reaction mechanism that could explain the results obtained.