The design and development of new types of catalysts
is one of
the most important topics for modern chemistry. Herein, a polymer-supported
iridium complex Cp*Ir@Poly(2,2′-BiBzIm) was designed and synthesized
by the coordinative immobilization of [Cp*IrCl2]2 on 2,2′-bibenzimidazoles. In the presence of the catalyst
(0.5 mol % Ir) and Cs2CO3 (0.3 equiv), a variety
of N-methylated amines were obtained in high yields
with complete selectivity. More importantly, the catalyst could be
recycled without an obvious loss of activity for six cycles. Apparently,
the designed catalyst combines the advantages of both homogeneous
and heterogeneous catalysis.