We have synthesized size selective silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in the nanopores of modified montmorillonite clay by an “in situ” approach. The modification of montmorillonite K-10 was carried out with HCl under controlled condition for generating a high surface area and porous matrix which acted as hosts for the “in situ” generation of silver nanoparticles. The synthesized nanocomposite material was well characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy, powder XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherm and TEM analysis. UV–Visible and TEM study revealed silver nanoparticles of 0–10 nm were evenly distributed on the support. The Ag-NPs stabilized on modified montmorillonite serves as an efficient green heterogeneous catalyst for the three component one-pot synthesis of propargylamines with 83–95 % yield and 100 % selectivity under mild reaction condition. The nanocatalyst can be recycled several times without any significant loss in its catalytic activity. Ag-NPs@mmt is found to be an efficient and robust heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of propargylamines under mild reaction condition.
Read full abstract