Recyclable ligand-free mesoporous heterogeneous Pd catalysts for Heck coupling

Ligand-free Pd–MCM41 catalysts are highly active in the Heck coupling of bromoarenes including deactivated bromo derivatives to give coupled products in high yields with high selectivities without the need to exclude air or moisture. The catalyst samples exhibit unprecedented stability among heterogeneous catalysts and can be reused at least 20 times to achieve complete conversion without any additional activation treatment.