A rapid, facile and green synthesis of Ag@AgCl nanoparticles for the effective reduction of 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine

In this study, we have developed a green and single-step process for the fabrication of Ag@AgCl nanoparticles (NPs) using the leaf extract of Momordica charantia. This method does not require the utilization of any surfactant/halide source or external energy. The uniqueness of the developed method lies in its fast synthesis rates (1 min for Ag@AgCl NPs). The phytochemicals present in the leaf extract act as a reducing as well as stabilizing agent and are responsible for the formation of Ag@AgCl NPs. The synthesized Ag@AgCl NPs exhibited a catalytic activity for the reduction of 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine (DNPH). It followed the pseudo-first order reaction and the rate constant (k) for the reduction of 2,4-DNPH was found to be 5.2 x 10(-2) min(-1). For the first time, the reduction of 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine was reported using Ag@AgCl nanoparticles as a catalyst.