Cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles as highly efficient catalyst for the mechanochemical synthesis of 2-aryl benzimidazoles

Abstract

A highly efficient magnetically separable nano cobalt ferrite catalyst was synthesized via the sol-gel auto combustion method, characterized by powder XRD, SEM, TEM, UV–Visible, FT-IR, magnetic study, and BET isotherm analysis. The synthesized material was found to be an efficient heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst for the synthesis of 2-aryl benzimidazole derivatives via solvent-free mechanochemical synthesis. The notable features of this new protocol include solvent-free reaction, cost-effectiveness, good yields, and environmental friendliness to afford the products within a short reaction time along with easy recovery and reuse of the nano catalyst.

Keywords

• Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs)
• Mechanochemical
• Cobalt ferrite
• Solvent-free
• O-Phenylenediamine
• Benzimidazole