A Synergistic Magnetically Retrievable Inorganic‐Organic Hybrid Metal Oxide Catalyst for Scalable Selective Oxidation of Alcohols to Aldehydes and Ketones

Abstract

AbstractHerein, we report a synergistic silica coated magnetic Fe3O4 catalyst functionalized with nitrogen rich organic moieties and immobilized with cobalt metal ion (FNP‐5) for selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones using tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant. The catalyst was rigorously characterized via several techniques which delineate its core‐shell structure, magnetic behavior, phase and crystal structure. The Co(III) acts as the active catalytic center for selective oxidation reaction. The control reactions revealed radical mechanistic pathway assisted by the synergism induced by the inorganic‐organic hybrid nature of FNP‐5. The other features of current protocol involve neat reaction conditions, high TOF values, scalability of product and low E‐factor value (1.92). Moreover, FNP‐5 could be effortlessly separated via an external magnet, displays recyclability over eight catalytic cycles and exhibits structural integrity even after rigorous use. Overall, these results manifest the understanding of synergistic architectures as sustainable surrogates for selective oxidation reactions.