Polyionic Gels: Efficient Heterogeneous Media for Metal Scavenging and Catalysis

A highly polar micro-environment, which is suitable for efficient metal scavenging and heterogeneous catalyst preparation, is provided by polyionic gel beads 1 (see scheme). These heterogeneous media enable easy product isolation and catalyst recycling. As an example, a Pd-soaked ionic gel 2 is shown to transform into a highly efficient and recyclable catalyst 3 in the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction.