Pentetic Acid-Copper Complex-Functionalized Magnetite Nanoparticles: An Efficient and Magnetically Separable Catalyst for Solvent-Free Synthesis of Benzimidazoles

This paper presents the synthesis of a novel magnetically heterogeneous nanocatalyst, MNPs-DTPA-Cu, which is composed of Fe۳O۴ nanoparticles modified with a copper complex of pentetic acid or diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). The synthesis process involves a simple and cost-effective two-step procedure using readily available precursors. The structure of these nanoparticles was characterized using several techniques, including SEM, TGA, XRD, FTIR, VSM, EDS. These techniques provided valuable insights into the composition and properties of the nanoparticles. The catalytic performance of this novel material has been thoroughly investigated in the synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives through a one-pot condensation reaction of aldehydes and o-phenylenediamine. Remarkably, the reaction proceeded under solvent-free classical heating conditions, resulting in good to excellent yields of the desired products. The present catalytic system possesses several notable features, including shorter reaction time, mild reaction conditions, simplicity, and non-toxicity. Additionally, the catalyst can be easily recovered using an external magnet and can be reused up to six consecutive times without any significant loss in catalytic efficiency.

Keywords:

Benzimidazole , Magnetic nanoparticles , pentetic acid-copper complex , Heterogeneous catalyst , Solvent-free