Reduced graphene oxide-immobilized iron nanoparticles Fe(0)@rGO as heterogeneous catalyst for one-pot synthesis of series of propargylamines

Iron nanoparticles immobilized on reduced graphene oxide (rGO), nanocomposite Fe(0)@rGO 1, were prepared in situ by reduction of GO and FeCl3 center dot 6H(2)O using sodium borohydride under nitrogen atmosphere. The nanocomposite 1 was isolated as a black powder having iron NPs of size ~ 41 nm. The nanocomposite 1 exhibited good catalytic activity in one-pot A(3)-coupling reactions of aldehyde, amines and terminal alkynes to afford propargylamines in very high yields (72-86%) at a low loading of 0.7 mol%, without any additive or a cocatalyst. The catalyst 1 can be magnetically separated, retrieved and recycled up to four times without noticeable changes in the morphology and catalytic activity.