Application of CuAAC for the covalent immobilization of homogeneous catalysts

Fernandes, Antony E. [UCL] Jonas, Alain M. [UCL] Riant, Olivier [UCL]

Abstract : The copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction is arguably the flagship of the “click” chemistry concept introduced by Sharpless, a concept that revived some well-established reactions which respond the essential criteria of being “modular, wide in scope, give very high yields, and generate only inoffensive byproducts that can be removed by nonchromatographic methods”. As a notoriously powerful “click” reaction, CuAAC has known rapid development and applications in diverse fields of chemistry. It has proved particularly suited for the covalent immobilization of homogeneous catalysts by providing a very efficient, specific and relatively simple and mild-operating strategy that contrasts well with traditional anchoring schemes. Herein, we attempt to highlight the growing importance of CuAAC in the immobilization of homogeneous catalysts, ranging from metal- to organocatalysts, on various types of supports, as well as to describe some potential limitations of the approach.