A comprehensive review on the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic application of transition-metal Schiff-base complexes immobilized on magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Within the last decade, the synthesis of transition-metal Schiff-base complexes immobilized on Fe3O4 nanoparticles has become a matter of great interest. In this review, I'll focus on all the key syntheses and catalytic potentials of magnetically recoverable nanocatalysts published from the beginning (2012) until now. The magnetic nanocatalysts' catalytic potential was tested in a range of processes, including alkenes epoxidation, sulfides oxidation, alcohols oxidation, aromatic alkyls oxidation, Suzuki-Miyaura, Mizoroki-Heck and Sonogashira-Hagihara cross-coupling reactions, C-O coupling reaction, multicomponent reactions, trimethylsilylation of alcohols and phenols, alcoholysis of epoxides, reduction of nitrobenzenes, N-arylation of nitrogen heterocycles with aryl halides and N-alkylation of amines. This review compares the use of heterogenized transition metal complexes with various imine bond bearing ligands in the catalytic processes listed. The major benefits of such catalytic methodology are the ease of separation of catalyst through an external magnet, the simple recycling of catalyst without significant losses in performance, improved efficiency due to the nanoscale architecture of active centers, and better steric control of the reaction intermediate.