β-Cyclodextrin-Functionalized Fe 3 O 4 -Supported Pd-Nanocatalyst for the Reduction of Nitroarenes in Water at Mild Conditions.

In this study, a novel heterogeneous catalyst (Fe 3 O 4 @β-CD@Pd) has been developed by the deposition of palladium nanoparticles on the β-cyclodextrin-functionalized surface of magnetic Fe 3 O 4 . The catalyst was prepared by a simple chemical co-precipitation method and characterized extensively by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) analyses. Herein, the applicability of the prepared material was evaluated for the catalytic reduction of environmentally toxic nitroarenes to the corresponding anilines. The catalyst Fe 3 O 4 @β-CD@Pd showed excellent efficiency for the reduction of nitroarenes in water under mild conditions. A low catalyst loading of 0.3 mol % Pd is found to be efficient for reducing nitroarenes in excellent to good (99-95%) yields along with high TON values (up to 330). Nevertheless, the catalyst was recycled and reused up to the 5th cycle of reduction of nitroarene without any loss of significant catalytic activity.