Competing commercial catalysts: Unprecedented catalyst activity and stability of Mizoroki-Heck reaction in a continuous packed bed reactor

Main obstacle for adopting continuous processes as a standard technology for Mizoroki-Heck reaction usually lies in its specific reaction mechanism. Here we present an important step forward answering the challenges unraveled through a comprehensive study that provides deeper understanding on the Mizoroki-Heck reaction, in particular the case when iodobenzene and butyl acrylate react in a continuous packed bed reactor in the presence of a Pd Supported Ionic Liquid Catalyst (SILCA). On-line UV–VIS spectrometry supported by ICP-OES, TEM and XPS measurements were carried out and the catalyst leaching was minimized. Finally, simple continuous flow process was proposed resulting in a high catalytic activity (up to 1470 mol_ArI mol_Pd⁻¹h⁻¹) and reaching productivity in the range of 12,000 to 16,000 mol_ArI mol_Pd⁻¹ thus competing with the performance of commercial catalysts.