Many of the most useful organic reactions are catalyzed by noble metals, which not only are expensive but also can be hazardous if released into the environment. One example is the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction, in which the cross coupling of an aromatic halide and an arylboronic acid is catalyzed by a Pd(0) complex or supported catalyst. Thathagar et al. explored the use of nanoparticles (typically 1.6 to 2.1 nanometers in diameter) of copper, noble metals (ruthenium, palladium, and platinum), and copper-noble metal alloys. For the simplest example, which produces biphenyl, pure Cu nanoparticles were active and stable catalysts, although the yields and reaction rates were lower than for pure Pd particles. However, a Cu-Pd alloy was actually more active than pure Pd. These results outline a potential compositional space for exploration of alternative catalysts for this reaction. -- PDS
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 10.1021/ja027716+.
