One-pot hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles and its application as magnetically recoverable catalyst in oxidation of alcohols by periodic acid

A novel and facile approach for one-pot synthesis of spinel cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) nanoparticles (NPs) is presented here. The synthesis involves homogeneous chemical precipitation followed by hydrothermal heating, using tributylamine (TBA) as a hydroxylating agent. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 was used as surfactant. As-synthesized CoFe₂O₄ NPs were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm (BET) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). TEM image showed formation of spherical particles of sizes 2–30 nm. These NPs were used as magnetically recoverable catalyst in oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes by periodic acid. This oxidative procedure is found to be highly efficient affording products in very high yield and selectivity. The easy magnetic separation of the catalyst and efficient reusability are key features of this methodology. - Highlights: • Hydrothermal synthesis of CoFe₂O₄ NPs with (C₄H₉)₃N as hydroxylating agent. • The TEM images showed the particles to be spherical in shape with sizes 2–30 nm. • CoFe₂O₄ was used as recyclable catalyst for oxidation of alcohols by periodic acid.