Preparation of magnetically recyclable ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles by easy single-step co-precipitation method and their catalytic performance in the synthesis of 2-aminothiophenes

In this work, a new synthetic route for the preparation of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles through the chemical co-precipitation using Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in an alkaline solution was developed. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, ICP-MS, DRS, TGA, VSM and elemental analysis. Characterization results confirmed the formation of single ZnFe2O4 phase, with an average particle size of 40nm and a high saturation magnetization of 34emu g(-1). The prepared material was employed as a catalyst for the synthesis of 2-aminotiophene derivatives through the Gewald reaction. This thermally and chemically stable nanocatalyst is environmentally benign, economical and reusable which can be easily recovered using an external magnet. Therefore, it appears that this methodology can be simply extended for industrial purposes.