LAUSR

A simple and environmentally benign technology for synthesizing ultrasmall Cu(I) nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of the food additive hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and their applications in completely organic solvent-free tandem alkyne-azide cycloaddition is reported. NP catalyst is thoroughly characterized by STEM-HAADF, HRTEM, EDS, and XPS analysis for its morphology, particle size distribution, chemical composition, and oxidation state analyses. The NP catalyst is highly efficient, affording products in 10-45 minutes. All products are obtained in high purity by simple filtrations, obviating organic solvents from reaction set-up to product isolation at any stage. The methodology is general and scalable as validated by a broad substrate scope.