Sustainable Synthesis of Magnetic Ruthenium-Coated Iron Nanoparticles and Application in the Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones

Abstract

The galvanic reduction of catalytically active metals onto iron/iron oxide core/shell nanoparticles is a rapid, efficient and sustainable method to access new catalysts, already explored with copper and palladium. Herein, we present novel bimetallic ruthenium–iron nanoparticles synthesized by this method. This material constitutes a magnetically recoverable heterogeneous catalyst for transfer hydrogenation with a pronounced selectivity for ketones over aldehydes and nitro groups. The nanoparticles are recyclable up to five times without a significant decrease in activity or leaching, and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma.