Fe3O4 MNPs-DETA/Benzyl-Br3: A new magnetically reusable catalyst for the oxidative coupling of thiols

We report a new strategy to immobilize a bromine source on the surface of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4 MNPs-DETA/Benzyl-Br-3) leading to a magnetically recoverable catalyst, which exhibits high catalytic efficiency in oxidative coupling of thiols to the disulfides (89-98%). The Fe3O4 MNPs-DETA/Benzyl-Br-3 catalyst was fabricated by anchoring 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane (CPTMS) on magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles, followed with N-benzylation and reaction with bromine in tetrachloridecarbon. The resulting nanocomposite was analyzed by a series of characterization techniques such as FT-IR, SEM, TGA, VSM and XRD. The catalyst could be recovered via magnetic attraction and could be recycled at least 5 times without appreciable decrease in activity.