Magnetite (Fe3O4) silica based organic-inorganic hybrid copper(II) nanocatalyst: a platform for aerobic N-alkylation of amines

A magnetically recoverable, efficient and selective copper based nanocatalyst has been synthesised via covalent grafting of 2-acetylthiophene on a silica coated magnetic nanosupport followed by metallation with copper acetate. The obtained organic inorganic hybrid nanomaterial has been characterized by electron microscopy techniques (SEM and TEM with EDS), XRD, VSM, FT-IR and AAS. The catalytic performance of the novel nano-catalyst is evaluated in the active transformation of various aromatic amines to industrially-important alkylated amines. The nanocomposites afford high turnover frequency and high selectivity for amines under aerobic conditions. Furthermore, the heterogeneous nature of the catalyst allows easy magnetic recovery and regeneration, which makes the present protocol highly beneficial to address the industrial needs and environmental concerns.