Development of an amphiphilic resin-dispersion of nanopalladium catalyst: Design, preparation, and its use in aquacatalytic hydrodechlorination and aerobic oxidation

An amphiphilic polystyrene-poly(ethylene glycol) (PS-PEG) resin-dispersion of nanoparticles of palladium was designed and prepared with a view toward use for catalysis in water. The amphiphilic PSPEG resin-dispersion of nanoparticles of palladium exhibited high catalytic performance in the hydrodechlorination of chloroarenes under aqueous conditions. The amphiphilic resin-supported nanopalladium particle also catalyzed alcohol oxidation, which is one of the most fundamental and important yet immature processes in organic chemistry, in water under an atmospheric pressure of oxygen gas to form aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids.