Synthesis and Characterization of a new magnetic Fe(III)Salophen complex as a heterogeneous bio-relevant catalyst

Schiff-bases derived from an amino and carbonyl compound are an important class of ligands that coordinate to metal ions via azomethine nitrogen and have been studied extensively. They have wide applications in food industry, dye industry, analytical chemistry, catalysis, fungicidal, agrochemical and biological activities [1]. With the increasing incidence of deep mycosis, there has been increasing emphasis on the screening of new and more effective antimicrobial drugs with low toxicity. Schiff-base complexes are considered to be among the most important stereochemical models in main group and transition metal coordination chemistry due to their preparative accessibility and structural variety [2]. Not only have they played a seminal role in the development of modern coordination chemistry, but also they can be found at key points in the development of inorganic biochemistry, catalysis and optical materials. To improve the stability and activity of Schiff base complexes in catalysis, many functional materials, and in particularly magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been intensively investigated [3]. In this work, we designed a new magnetic nanocatalyst via anchoring of Fe(III)salophen complex on γ-Fe2O3 providing a heterogeneous catalyst. The structural integrity of as-prepared nanomaterial was confirmed by several analytical techniques such as FT-IR, EDS, VSM and TGA. Then, its catalytic oxidation activity was compared with free Fe(III) salophen complex.