Designing of a novel dual-function silica-iron oxide hybrid based nanocomposite, Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 PEG/NH 2 , and its application as an eco-catalyst for the solvent-free synthesis of polyhydroacridines and polyhydroquinolines

Abstract

Abstract Dual function silica-iron oxide hybrid nanocomposite, (Fe3O4@SiO2 PEG/NH2) was newly designed and prepared by grafting of PEG and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) on the silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2). The resulting nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The nanocomposite demonstrated a catalytic performance in the one-pot multicomponent synthesis of polyhydroacridines and polyhydroquinolines via the Hantzsch reaction under solvent free conditions. Atom economy, high yields, easy work-up procedure, environmentally benign, easy separation of the catalyst through an external magnet and mild reaction conditions are some of the important features of this protocol.