Thermal oxide synthesis and characterization of Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanorods and Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanowires

Fe₃O₄ nanorods and Fe₂O₃ nanowires have been synthesized through a simple thermal oxide reaction of Fe with C₂H₂O₄ solution at 200–600°C for 1 h in the air. The morphology and structure of Fe₃O₄ nanorods and Fe₂O₃ nanowires were detected with powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of temperature on the morphology development was experimentally investigated. The results show that the polycrystals Fe₃O₄ nanorods with cubic structure and the average diameter of 0.5–0.8 μm grow after reaction at 200–500°C for 1 h in the air. When the temperature was 600°C, the samples completely became Fe₂O₃ nanowires with hexagonal structure. It was found that C₂H₂O₄ molecules had a significant effect on the formation of Fe₃O₄ nanorods. A possible mechanism was also proposed to account for the growth of these Fe₃O₄ nanorods. Supported by the Fund of Weinan Teacher’s University (Grant No. 08YKZ008), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20573072) and the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 20060718010)     

Synthesis and crystal structure of a mixed valence heteropoly green compound, (PPh<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript>[PMo<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>40</Subscript>], and its use as a catalyst in olefin epoxidation

A green heteropolyblue compound, (PPh₄)₄[PMo₁₂O₄₀] · 3DMF(1), has been synthesized from MoO₃, H₂O₂ and H₃PO₄ in acetylacetone medium and crystallized from N,N-dimethylformamide. Compound 1 was characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods, and X-ray structure analysis. The compound is a one-electron paramagnet and shows a featureless and cubic EPR spectrum with <g> = 1.95 in DMF glass. The complex shows a Mo(V)–Mo(IV) couple, which has been studied by cyclic voltammetric and coulometric methods. The compound acts as an efficient olefin epoxidation catalyst with H₂O₂ as oxidant and NaHCO₃ as co-catalyst. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Synthesis and study of (hexacaprolactam)trionium dodecamolybdophosphate (C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>11</Subscript>NO)<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>3</Subscript>[PMo<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>40</Subscript>]

(Hexacaprolactam)trionium dodecamolybdophosphate (C₆H₁₁NO)₆H₃[PMo₁₂O₄₀] has been prepared and studied by means of chemical and X-ray diffraction analysis as well as NMR and IR spectroscopy.     

Impregnated copper on Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>: an efficient magnetically separable nanocatalyst for rapid and selective acylation of amines

The present paper describes the synthesis of N-arylacetamides through acetylation of arylamines with Ac₂O in the presence of magnetically recyclable Fe₃O₄/Cu NPs. All reactions were carried out efficiently in H₂O within 2–10 min to give the products in 89–95% yields. Selective acetylation of amines versus alcohols was carried out successfully with this acetylating system. In addition, acetylation of amines and phenols was taken place with the same reactivity. Reusability of the nanocatalyst was examined 5 times without significant loss of its catalytic activity.     

L-phenyl alanine-attached Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>@SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of chromenes

In the present paper, L-phenyl alanine has been successfully linked on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles and has been characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDS, TGA, and VSM techniques. This new catalyst was employed for one-pot synthesis of chromenes through the reaction of aldehydes, 4-hydroxycoumarin, and 2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione. Significant features of this method are short reaction time, excellent yields, use of green method, and the use of an effective and novel catalyst that could be recovered and reused several times without loss of its catalytic activity.     

Transition metal salts of H<Subscript>4</Subscript>PMo<Subscript>11</Subscript>VO<Subscript>40</Subscript> for efficient H<Subscript>2</Subscript>S removal in the liquid redox process

Several transition metal (Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn⁴⁺, and Cr⁶⁺) salts of H₄PMo₁₁VO₄₀ were prepared and their solutions were used initially for H₂S removal in the liquid redox process. H₂S removal tests were performed by dynamic absorption experiments. Among these polyoxometalates, that with the Cu²⁺ cation was found to have pronounced H₂S removal performance with the removal efficiency of up to 98%. The relevant oxidative desulfurization mechanism and the role of Cu²⁺ were studied.     

H<Subscript>3</Subscript>PW<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>40</Subscript> anchored on graphene-grafted silica-coated MnFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> as magnetic catalyst for Mannich reaction

In this study, a three-component nanocomposite consisted of graphene, manganese ferrite and phosphotungstic acid (PTA) has been prepared. This composite, which is designated as Graphene/MnFe₂O₄@PTA, was synthesized through anchoring of PTA–imidazolium ionic liquid on magnetic graphene sheets. The structural and magnetic properties of the fabricated nanocomposite were studied by employing FT-IR, SEM, EDX, TEM, ICP, VSM, P-XRD and BET techniques. The synthesized magnetic nanocomposite was examined as an efficient and recyclable acidic catalyst for Mannich reaction under solvent-free conditions. The products of this reaction, which are an important class of potentially bioactive compounds, were obtained with good to excellent yields, and the catalyst could be readily recycled without any significant loss of its activity.     

Unmodified Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanostructure promoted with external magnetic field: safe,magnetically recoverable,and efficient nanocatalyst for N- and C-alkylation reactions in green conditions

Transition metal compounds have emerged as suitable catalysts for organic reactions. Magnetic compounds as soft Lewis acids can be used as catalysts for organic reactions. In this report, the Fe₃O₄ nanostructures were obtained from Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺-salts, under an external magnetic field (EMF) without any protective agent. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy tools were used to characterize these magnetic compounds. The two-dimensional (2-D, it showed nanometric size in the two dimensions, nanorod structure) Fe₃O₄ compound showed high catalytic activity and stability in N- and C-alkylation reactions. A diverse range of N- and C-alkylation products were obtained in moderate to high yield under green and mild conditions in air. Also the N- and C-alkylation products can be obtained with different selectivity and yield by exposure reactions with EMF. Results of alkylation reactions showed that the presence of Fe(II) and Fe(III) species on the surface of magnetic catalysts (phase structure of magnetic compounds) are essential as very cheap active sites. Also, morphology of magnetic catalysts had influence on their catalytic performances. After the reaction, the catalyst/product(s) separation could be easily achieved with an external magnet and more than 95% of catalyst could be recovered. The catalyst was reused at least four times without any loss of its high catalytic activity for N- and C-alkylation reactions.     

A novel amperometric immunosensor based on Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> magnetic nanoparticles/chitosan composite film for determination of ferritin

A novel amperometric immunosensor was developed by immobilizing ferritin antibody (FeAb) on the surface of Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles/chitosan composite film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). This material combined the advantages of inorganic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with the organic polymer chitosan. The stepwise assembly procedure of the immunosensor was characterized by means of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and ac impedance. The K₃Fe(CN)₆/K₄Fe(CN)₆ was used as a marker to probe the interface and to determinate ferritin. The factors that could influence the performance of the resulting immunosensor were studied in detail. After the immunosensor was incubated with ferritin for 32 min at 35 °C, the DPV current decreased linearly with the logarithm of ferritin concentration in the range from 20 to 500 ng mL⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.995 and a detection limit of 7.0 ng mL⁻¹. This immunosensor was used to analyze ferritin in human serum samples. The analytical results showed that the developed immunoassay was comparable with the radioimmunoassay (RIA), and the studied immunosensor exhibited good accuracy, high sensitivity, and long-term stability for 3 weeks, which implies a promising alternative approach for detecting ferritin in clinical diagnosis.     

Ag nanoparticles decorated Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/chitosan nanocomposite: synthesis,characterization and application toward electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide

We studied a rapid, sensitive and selective amperometric sensor for determination of hydrogen peroxide by electrodeposited Ag NPs on a modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The modified GCE was constructed through a step by step modification of magnetic chitosan functional composite (Fe₃O₄–CH) and high-dispersed silver nanoparticles on the surface. The resulted Ag@Fe₃O₄–CH was characterized by various analytical methods including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The proposed sensor employed Ag@Fe₃O₄–CH/GCE as the working electrode with a linear current response to the hydrogen peroxide concentration in a wide range from 0.01 to 400 µM with a low limit of detection (LOD = 0.0038 µM, S/N = 3). The proposed sensor showed superior reproductivity, sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of hydrogen peroxide in environmental and clinical samples.     

Nitration of Aromatic Compounds Catalyzed by Divanadium-Substituted Molybdophosphoric Acid,H<Subscript>5</Subscript>[PMo<Subscript>10</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>40</Subscript>]

Summary. The nitration of aromatic compounds was carried out in the presence of divanadium-substituted molybdophosphoric acid, H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀, as catalyst and a mixture of nitric acid and acetic anhydride as nitrating agent. In the presence of this heteropolyacid the ortho- and para-nitro compounds were obtained in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions.     

Cellulose nanocrystals prepared in H<Subscript>3</Subscript>PW<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>40</Subscript>-acetic acid system

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were prepared by destruction of cotton cellulose using phosphotungstic acid in acetic acid medium. The study shows the influence of the heteropolyacid concentration, pre-activation, and hydrogen peroxide addition on the size of CNC particles. CNC were characterized using the methods of dynamic light scattering, FTIR-spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and potentiometric titration. CNC particles have highly-crystalline structure and rod-like morphology. Freeze-dried CNC hydrosols form lamellar or fibrous agglomerates, depending on the initial concentration of the CNC sol. Potentiometric titration results show increase in surface activity index and offset of pK_a values for CNC active centers in comparison to initial cellulose material.     

The hemoglobin-modified electrode with chitosan/Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanocomposite for the detection of trichloroacetic acid

A hemoglobin (Hb)-modified electrode based on chitosan/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite coated glassy carbon has been constructed for trichloroacetic acid (TCA) detection. The structure of chitosan/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite was investigated using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The electron transfer rate constant (k _s) of Hb was estimated for as high as 3.12 s^?1. The immobilized Hb exhibited excellent electro-catalytic activity toward the reduction of TCA. The response current regressed to the concentration of TCA within the range of 5.70 μM to 205 μM with a detection limit of 1.9 μM (S/N = 3).     

Comparison of the Solubility of ZnFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>, Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> and Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> in High Temperature Water

As the solubility is a direct measure of stability, this study compares the solubilities of ZnFe₂O₄, Fe₃O₄ and Fe₂O₃ in high temperature water. Through literature analysis and formula derivation, it is shown that it is reasonable to assume ZnFe₂O₄ and Fe(OH)₃ coexist when ZnFe₂O₄ is dissolved in water. Results indicated that the solubility of ZnFe₂O₄ is much lower than that of Fe₂O₃ or Fe₃O₄. The low solubility of ZnFe₂O₄ indicates that it is more protectively stable as an anticorrosion phase. Moreover, the gap between the solubility of ZnFe₂O₄ and that of Fe₃O₄ or Fe₂O₃ was enlarged with an increase of temperature. This means that ZnFe₂O₄ is more protective at higher temperatures. Further analysis indicated that with the increase of temperature, the solubility of ZnFe₂O₄ changed little while those of Fe₂O₃ or Fe₃O₄ changed a lot. Little change of the solubility of ZnFe₂O₄ with increase of temperature showed that ZnFe₂O₄ is stable. The very low and constant solubility of ZnFe₂O₄ suggests that it is more protective than Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄, especially in water at higher temperature.     

Synthesis of novel magnetic sulfur-doped Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanoparticles for efficient removal of Pb(II)

In this work, we report the synthesis of magnetic sulfur-doped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄:S NPs) with a novel simple strategy, which includes low temperature multicomponent mixing and high temperature sintering. The prepared Fe₃O₄:S NPs exhibit a much better adsorption performance towards Pb(II) than bare Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. FTIR, XPS, and XRD analyses suggested that the removal mechanisms of Pb(II) by Fe₃O₄:S NPs were associated with the process of precipitation (formation of PbS), hydrolysis, and surface adsorption. The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption data were described well by a pseudo second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption isotherms could be presented by Freundlich isotherm model. Moreover, the adsorption was not significantly affected by the coexisting ions, and the adsorbent could be easily separated from water by an external magnetic field after Pb(II) adsorption. Thus, Fe₃O₄:S NPs are supposed to be a good adsorbents for Pb(II) ions in environmental remediation.     

Hydrolysis of cellulose by the heteropoly acid H<Subscript>3</Subscript>PW<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>40</Subscript>

The potential of heteropoly acid H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ to catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose under hydrothermal conditions was explored. This technology could contribute to sustainable societies in the future by using cellulose biomass. A study to optimize the reaction conditions, such as the amount of catalyst, reaction time, temperature, and the amount of cellulose used, was performed. A remarkably high yield of glucose (50.5%) and selectivity higher than 90% at 453 K for 2 h with a mass ratio of cellulose to H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ of 0.42 were achieved. This was attributed to the high hydrothermal stability and the excellent catalytic properties, such as the strong Brønsted acid sites. This homogeneous catalyst can be recycled for reuse by extraction with diethyl ether. The results illustrate that H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ is an environmentally benign acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose.