Facile synthesis of magnetic Fe3O4@Chitosan nanocomposite as environmentally green catalyst in multicomponent Knoevenagel-Michael domino reaction

Magnetic Fe3O4 has interesting characteristics such as large surface area, low toxicity, ferromagnetic, and biocompatible. The presence of magnetic properties in Fe3O4 provides an advantage in its application as a heterogeneous catalyst. This study highlights the synthesis of Fe3O4 modified chitosan composite and evaluates the catalytic ability in multicomponent Knoevenagel-Michael domino reaction. The synthesis and characterization of pristine Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@Chi samples were investigated. The XRD analysis combined with refinement technique indicates that the pristine Fe3O4 crystallized in a cubic structure with Fd-3mz symmetry and the presence of chitosan in Fe3O4 sample did not change its structure. The FTIR analysis also demonstrated the binding of chitosan to the Fe3O4 nanoparticles. TEM image reveals the presence of chitosan in the composite sample formed a core-shell interaction and covered the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The evaluation of Fe3O4@Chi catalytic ability in multicomponent Knoevenagel-Michael domino reaction demonstrated reliable catalyst performance with a yield of 92.3% at optimum conditions. Fe3O4@Chi could be classified as a green catalyst because it can be used repeatedly with high yield and easy separation.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of Fe3O4 modified chitosan composite as a catalyst in multicomponent Knoevenagel-Michael domino reaction. The results demonstrate that Fe3O4@Chi catalyst shows reliable performance and can be classified as a green catalyst.