Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as an Efficient Catalyst for Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition Reaction

The current work focused on the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles by electrochemical method and its application in sustainable and eco-friendly copper-free method for the azide–alkyne cycloaddition reactions using a mild-conditions. The electrochemical reduction method was used to synthesize the iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) by optimizing the current density of 10 mA/cm2 and tetrapropylammonium bromide as a structure-directing agent in an organic medium. A conventional electrolysis cell was used to generate nanoparticles, with a readily available iron metal sheet acts as an anode and a platinum sheet served as a cathode. The synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles were characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM and energy dispersive X-ray analysis techniques. The reaction is regioselective as Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction where 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole formed as product. IONPs could be magnetically collected and also reused without any significant loss of its catalytic activity. The synthesized 1,2,3-triazole products were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR.