posted on 2016-01-11, 00:00authored byAlain
You Li, Madhu Kaushik, Chao-Jun Li, Audrey Moores
Magnetic nanoparticles enable an
effortless catalyst recovery at
the end of a chemical reaction, and therefore contribute to more sustainable
and greener industrial processes. Herein we report the synthesis of
magnetically retrievable Ag NPs for the catalytic hydrogenation and
oxidation of aldehydes in water. Upon brief exposure to microwave
irradiation, Ag and Fe3O4 NPs formed directly
within carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), an inexpensive, biobased polymer
support. The catalyst was tested for the hydrogenation of aldehydes
in water, showing a high activity and selectivity to CO bonds
against CC bonds. Aldehydes can also be oxidized to the corresponding
carboxylic acid with the same catalyst, even with substrates that
do not self-oxidize under air. The organic matrix and the magnetic
support allowed the catalyst to be recycled up to five times with
negligible metal leaching in the reaction medium.