CuFe2O4 nanoparticles as a highly efficient and magnetically recoverable catalyst for the synthesis of medicinally privileged spiropyrimidine scaffolds

A highly efficient and green protocol for the synthesis of medicinally important fluorinated spiropyrimidine derivatives involving creation of six new covalent bonds has been developed using a magnetically separable and reusable heterogeneous copper ferrite nanocatalyst under mild reaction conditions. The synthesis of inverse spinel copper ferrite magnetic nanoparticles with average size of 38 nm has been achieved using combined sonochemical and co-precipitation techniques in aqueous medium from readily available inexpensive starting materials without any surfactant or capping agent. The particle size was determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The magnetic nature of catalyst facilitates its easy removal from the reaction medium and can be reused five times without any significant loss of its catalytic activity. Negligible leaching of Cu and Fe in consecutive cycles makes the catalyst economical and environmentally benign. The structure of final products was established by single crystal X-ray analysis and spectroscopic techniques.