α-Fe2O3/CeBi2O2CO3 decorated with Pd as an efficient photo-assisted catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura coupling (SMC) under visible light irradiation

In this research work, α-Fe₂O₃/CeBi₂O₂CO₃-Pd was prepared using hydrothermal method and characterized using different physical techniques. It was used as photocatalyst for the CC Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions between halobenzene and phenylboronic acid with electron-withdrawing and electro-donating groups on the reactants. The photocatalytic CC Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction was carried out in the mixed solvent (H₂O/EtOH, 1:1) at room temperature under visible light irradiation. The results showed that, the presence of the electron-withdrawing groups (-CF₃) on iodobenzene as well as those of electron-donating groups (-CH₃) on the arylboronic acids leads to excellent conversion (100 %) in 10 min, whereas the opposite; i.e., electron-donating groups (-CH₃) on iodobenzene and electron-withdrawing groups (-CF₃) on the arylboronic acids lowers the conversion drastically to only 77 % in 4 h. The prepared catalyst has a good stability that does not make a significant change in the efficiency of the catalyst after 6th runs.