Synthesis of CoFe2O4 @Amino glycol/Gd nanocomposite as a high-efficiency and reusable nanocatalyst for green oxidation of sulfides and synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles

Abstract

In this study, a novel gadolinium 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (Amino glycol) complex immobilized covalently on CoFe2O4 magnetite nanoparticles was synthesized. The nanocatalyst was characterized thoroughly using thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), vibrational sample magnetometry (VSM), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). CoFe2O4 @Amino glycol/Gd was found to be efficient for the oxidation of sulfides and synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles at mild reaction conditions in the green medium. The influences of reaction temperature, solvent, and the amount of catalysts were studied. The best results were obtained in water and without organic solvent condition for 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles and oxidation of sulfides, respectively. The catalyst was easily collected via an external magnetic field and further reused at least 6 times without a significant decrease in catalytic activity. The wide applicability of the catalyst, ease of catalyst separation, its reusability capacity, and importantly reaction operation in a green medium and elimination of hazardous organic solvents are the advantages of this catalyst.