Solvent-Free Microwave-Induced Oxidation of Alcohols Catalyzed by Ferrite Magnetic Nanoparticles

NiFe2O4 nanoparticles: an efficient and reusable catalyst for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde under mild conditions

Benzaldehyde is one of the most important and versatile organic chemicals for industrial applications. This study explores a milder approach for the fabrication of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) for use as a catalyst in the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. A co-precipitation method coupled with hydrothermal aging has been adopted to synthesize NiFe₂O₄ NPs in the absence of any additive. Different techniques such as electron microscopy, diffractometry, and photoelectron spectroscopy have been used to characterize the products. The results showed that the synthesized NiFe₂O₄ NPs are spherical, pure, and highly crystalline with sizes below 12 nm possessing superparamagnetic behaviour. The catalytic activity of the synthesized NiFe₂O₄ NPs has been assessed in the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol under ambient reaction conditions. A conversion of 85% benzyl alcohol with 100% selectivity has been attained with t-butyl hydroperoxide at 60 °C in 3 h. With the optimized reaction conditions, the generality of the newly developed protocol has been expanded to a wide array of substituted benzyl alcohols with good performance. The NiFe₂O₄ nanocatalysts are magnetically separable and are reusable up to five cycles without loss of catalytic activity.

Towards Mechanistic Understanding of Liquid-Phase Cinnamyl Alcohol Oxidation with tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide over Noble-Metal-Free LaCo1-x Fex O3 Perovskites

Noble-metal-free perovskite oxides are promising and well-known catalysts for high-temperature gas-phase oxidation reactions, but their application in selective oxidation reactions in the liquid phase has rarely been studied. We report the liquid-phase oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol over spray-flame synthesized LaCo_1-x Fe_x O₃ perovskite nanoparticles with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as the oxidizing agent under mild reaction conditions. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET, EDS and elemental analysis. LaCo_0.8 Fe_0.2 O₃ showed the best catalytic properties indicating a synergistic effect between cobalt and iron. The catalysts were found to be stable against metal leaching as proven by hot filtration, and the observed slight deactivation is presumably due to segregation as determined by EDS. Kinetic studies revealed an apparent activation energy of 63.6 kJ mol^-1 . Combining kinetic findings with TBHP decomposition as well as control experiments revealed a complex reaction network.

Selective cyclohexene oxidation with O2, H2O2 and tert-butyl hydroperoxide over spray-flame synthesized LaCo1−xFexO3 nanoparticles

A series of spray-flame made LaCo_1−xFe_xO₃ nanoparticles showed promising activity for liquid-phase cyclohexene oxidation. Various oxidizing agents, i.e., O₂, H₂O₂ and tert-butyl hydroperoxide, led to different product selectivities.

A copper-amidocarboxylate based metal organic macrocycle and framework: synthesis, structure and catalytic activities towards microwave assisted alcohol oxidation and Knoevenagel reactions

Two new Cu(ii) based macrocycle and MOF act as catalysts for the microwave-assisted oxidation and Knoevenagel reactions.

Lanthanide–EDTA complexes covalently bonded on Fe3O4@SiO2 magnetic nanoparticles promote the green, stereoselective synthesis of N-acylhydrazones

Highly efficient stereoselective synthesis of E–N-acylhydrazones using magnetic nanoparticles-Ln³⁺ as heterogeneous catalysts.

Fe-Based Nano-Materials in Catalysis

The role of iron in view of its further utilization in chemical processes is presented, based on current knowledge of its properties. The addition of iron to a catalyst provides redox functionality, enhancing its resistance to carbon deposition. FeO_x species can be formed in the presence of an oxidizing agent, such as CO₂, H₂O or O₂, during reaction, which can further react via a redox mechanism with the carbon deposits. This can be exploited in the synthesis of active and stable catalysts for several processes, such as syngas and chemicals production, catalytic oxidation in exhaust converters, etc. Iron is considered an important promoter or co-catalyst, due to its high availability and low toxicity that can enhance the overall catalytic performance. However, its operation is more subtle and diverse than first sight reveals. Hence, iron and its oxides start to become a hot topic for more scientists and their findings are most promising. The scope of this article is to provide a review on iron/iron-oxide containing catalytic systems, including experimental and theoretical evidence, highlighting their properties mainly in view of syngas production, chemical looping, methane decomposition for carbon nanotubes production and propane dehydrogenation, over the last decade. The main focus goes to Fe-containing nano-alloys and specifically to the Fe–Ni nano-alloy, which is a very versatile material.

Emergence of bismuth substituted cobalt ferrite nanostructures as versatile candidates for the enhanced oxidative degradation of hazardous organic dyes

The dramatic enhancement in the catalytic performance with the incorporation of 1% bismuth into the cobalt ferrite lattice has been scrutinized for the oxidative degradation of hazardous dyes.