New phosphazene nanospheres anchored Fe(III), Co(II) and Cu(II) Schiff base complexes as efficient catalysts in oxidation of phenol

Abstract

New phosphazene nanosphere-supported Fe(III), Co(II) and Cu(II) Schiff base complexes were prepared and their catalytic activities were investigated. The synthesized compounds were characterized by various techniques such as FT-IR, XRD, TGA, SEM, EDX, and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The average diameters of these nanosphere compounds are about 250 nm and they are spherically uniform with very good stability. The effect of the support on catalytic activity of the metal complexes was determined by investigating the oxidation of phenol under different experimental conditions. These complexes exhibit high activity in oxidation of phenol under relatively mild condition in the presence of urea hydrogen peroxide (UHP) as an oxidant. The influence of various parameters such as amount of catalyst, phenol:UHP molar ratio, and temperature on the rate of the oxidation reaction of phenol was also evaluated. Based on the characterization results and the experimental evidences a plausible mechanism has been proposed.