Gold and palladium supported on an ionic liquid modified Fe-based metal–organic framework (MOF) as highly efficient catalysts for the reduction of nitrophenols, dyes and Sonogashira–Hagihara reactions

Two supported noble metal species, gold and palladium anchored on an ionic liquid-modified Fe-based metal–organic framework (MOF), were successfully synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TEM, XPS, SEM, EDX, and elemental mapping. The ionic liquid post-modified MOF was used for anchoring Au or Pd at ppm levels, and the resulting materials were employed as catalysts in the reduction of nitrophenol isomers, dyes, and Sonogashira–Hagihara reactions. Using the Au@Fe-MOF-IL catalyst, reduction of nitrophenol isomers, as well as the reductive degradation of dyes, e.g., methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), and methyl red (MR) were performed efficiently in water. On the other hand, Pd@Fe-MOF-IL was used as an effective catalyst in the Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling reaction of aryl iodides and bromides using very low amounts of Pd. These catalysts were recycled and reused for several runs without deteriorating remarkably in catalytic performance.