Magnetic Catalyst Provides Attractions

March 22, 2010

The catalysts are robust, safe and can be recovered simply and efficiently.

Iron oxide nanoparticles effectively catalyze the three-component coupling of aldehyde, alkyne and amine, report researchers at McGill University, Montreal, Que., and the East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai. Moreover, the catalysts are robust, safe and can be recovered simply and efficiently via magnets, avoiding particle losses typically encountered with filtration or centrifugation. The team used Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles to produce a diverse range of propargylamines at moderate to high yields. These compounds can serve as building blocks and skeletons of biologically active compounds, the researchers note.

Magnetic catalyst

Figure 1. Nanoparticles of Fe₃O₄ in tetrahydrofuran (A1) are dispersed (A2) and then become adsorbed on magnetic stirring bar (A3). Source: McGill University.The Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were magnetically separated (Figure 1), washed with ethyl acetate, air dried and then used again without further purification. The materials went through 12 such cycles without significant loss of catalytic activity, say the researchers. Work is underway on using the nanoparticles for other reactions, notes Chao-Jun Li of McGill's Department of Chemistry.