Fe3O4@L-arginine magnetic nanoparticles: A novel and magnetically retrievable catalyst for the synthesis of 1′3-diaryl-2N-azaphenalene

The catalytic activity of l-arginine-coated nano-Fe3O4 particles (Fe3O4@l-arginine) proves they are a novel magnetic catalyst without the use of heat and reflux for the synthesis of 1,3-diaryl-2-N-azaphenalene derivatives and n-acyl-1,3-diaryl-2-N-azaphenylene derivatives in a one-pot pseudo-five-component condensation reaction of compounds of 2,7-naphthalene diol, aldehydes, and ammonia derivatives (ammonium acetate or ammonium hydrogen phosphate) and solvent (water and alcohol) with high yield and short reaction times, economical, and simple workup. The structure and magnetic properties of the obtained nanoparticles were characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (IR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The results demonstrated that the average size of the synthesized magnetite nanoparticles is about 21 nm. In addition, the heterogeneous catalyst can be easily recovered magnetically and can be reused for further runs without significant loss of its catalytic activity.