Heterogeneous azide-alkyne cycloaddition in the presence of a copper catalyst supported on an ionic liquid polymer/silica hybrid material: Heterogeneous azide-alkyne cycloaddition

Heterogeneous copper catalysts were prepared by the deposition of CuI on a hybrid material consisting of silica and a polymer with imidazolium moieties. The solid materials were characterised using solid‐phase NMR, Fourier transform infrared, Raman and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies and Brunauer– Emmett–Teller measurements. The formation of copper–carbene complexes was proved from Raman spectra and the results were supported by density functional theory calculations. The catalyst could be recycled efficiently with low loss of copper. Metal leaching was proved to be facilitated by the use of conditions typical for a homogeneous system (the presence of a polar solvent or the addition of a tertiary amine). Besides simple model reactions, the best catalyst was found to be suitable for the synthesis of triazoles of more elaborate structure, such as ferrocene or steroid derivatives.