A series of supported catalysts has been prepared from palladium(II) acetate and mesoporous molecular sieves bearing various N-donor groups at their surface and probed in the Heck coupling between n-butyl acrylate and bromobenzene to give n-butyl cinnamate. The results indicate that the catalytic activity as well as the amount of leached metal depends on the nature of the nitrogen modifying group. The best catalysts were obtained from the sieves bearing the SiCH2CH2CH2NH2 or SiCH2CH2CH2NHCH2CH2NEt2 groups at the surface. When combined with sodium acetate, the former catalyst provided the coupling product with conversions as high as 84% under microwave irradiation for 30 min and 84% under solvothermal conditions (160 degrees C/4 h) whereas application of the latter catalyst resulted in conversions 90% and 71% under identical reaction conditions (ail at 1 mol% Pd loading). Conversions of 5% and 14%, respectively, were achieved with these catalysts under microwave conditions without an external base, which corresponds to the consumption of 77% and 88% amine sites by the liberated HBr. The particle growth leading to the catalyst deactivation was studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and by X-ray powder diffraction. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.