Cu(II) Schiff base complex supported on Fe3O4 nanoparticles as an efficient nanocatalyst for the selective aerobic oxidation of alcohols

Herein, we have prepared a new Cu(II) Schiff base complex supported onto the surface of modified Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as highly stable, heterogeneous and magnetically recyclable nanocatalyst for the selective aerobic oxidation of different alcohols. The structure, morphology, chemical composition and magnetic property of the nanocatalyst and its precursors were characterized using FT‐IR, TGA, AAS, ICP‐AES, XRD, SEM, EDS, VSM and N₂ adsorption–desorption analyses. Characterization results exhibited the uniform spherical morphology for nanocatalyst and its precursors. A promising eco‐friendly method with short reaction time and high conversion and selectivity for oxidation of various primary and secondary alcohols under O₂ atmosphere condition was achieved. The synthesized nanocatalyst could be recovered easily by applying an external magnetic field and reused for least eight subsequent reaction cycles with only negligible deterioration in catalytic performance.