Aqueous 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions promoted by copper nanoparticles in polydiacetylene micelles

Abstract

A novel colloidal catalyst was developed through the encapsulation of cuprous oxide nanoparticles in polydiacetylene micelles. The Cu-based catalyst was applied to the Huisgen cycloaddition reaction in fully aqueous medium. The process neither requires heating nor a controlled atmosphere and the catalyst can be recycled in subsequent reactions without any loss of activity.