Ag/Fe@MelG1 magnetic dendrimer efficiently catalyzes the reduction of nitro compounds

Abstract An Ag/Fe@MelG1 magnetic dendrimer was developed as an easily separable heterogeneous nanocatalyst by anchoring silver and iron-based components onto a melamine-derived dendritic framework. The synthesized nanostructure exhibited average particle sizes of 14–21 nm and a saturation magnetization of 36.5 emu g⁻¹, enabling swift magnetic decantation from aqueous media. The catalytic performance was assessed for the reduction of nitro compounds with NaBH₄ in water at ambient temperature. Under these conditions, nitrobenzene was selectively transformed into aniline, and a diverse range of aromatic and aliphatic nitro derivatives were converted to the corresponding primary amines in 90–98% isolated yields within 5–18 min. Control experiments with the metal-free MelG1 scaffold yielded only trace amounts of the target amines, underscoring the critical role of the immobilized metallic species. Furthermore, Ag/Fe@MelG1 was magnetically recovered and reused across five consecutive cycles without noticeable loss of catalytic efficiency or significant structural degradation. Overall, Ag/Fe@MelG1 provides an efficient, environmentally benign platform for nitro group reduction under mild aqueous conditions.