CHAPTER 4: Organometallic Approach for the Synthesis of Noble Metal Nanoparticles: Towards Application in Colloidal and Supported Nanocatalysis

This chapter gives an overview of the recent progress in the preparation of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) by organometallic approaches and investigation of their use as nanocatalysts in targeted reactions (hydrogenation, C–C coupling, hydroformylation, etc.). Besides the control of the size, shape, and chemical composition of MNPs, the organometallic synthesis method enables the tuning of the surface properties. With this strategy, addition of capping agents, especially ligands that are already known in homogeneous catalysis for orienting the catalytic reactions, allows optimization of the NPs’ solubility in organic or aqueous media, and the NPs’ catalytic performance in terms of reactivity, selectivity and even the enantioselectivity. Moreover, parallel to playing a role in the catalytic performance, the use of a variety of supports can render easier the recycling of the nanocatalysts.