Co3O4@chitosan/La2O3 nanocomposites as innovative, powerful, and recyclable nanocatalysts for sonochemical treatment of benzyl alcohols to obtain the corresponding benzaldehyde derivatives

Ultrasonic (US) irradiation (100 W, 40 kHz) reactions, used as a safe and green technique, are often more efficient than traditional protocols. This leads us to introduce, for the first time, an efficient nanocatalyst and immobilization of La2O3 nanoparticles on Co3O4 nanoparticles for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to the corresponding benzaldehyde at room temperature. The structural and morphological characteristics of the nanocatalysts were determined by FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, and VSM. The catalytic performance of the Co3O4@Cs/La2O3 composites used as heterogeneous nanocatalysts was investigated in the selective oxidation of benzylic alcohols to their corresponding benzaldehydes. Also, the performance of the oxidation parameters, including H2O2 concentration, time, effect of various solvents, and nanocatalyst dosage was checked. Significant benefits of this method can be named by using a non-toxic solvent, easy product isolation, excellent recoverability, low time of reaction, high yield, and ultrasound irradiation. Finally, a possible mechanism was proposed to show the nanocatalytic process.

Automated summary

In this study, an efficient nanocatalyst was introduced for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol, achieving excellent catalytic performance under ultrasonic irradiation. The method offers advantages such as the use of non-toxic solvents, easy product isolation, and good recoverability.