Synthesis and characterization of a magnetically separable novel Fe3O4@L-DOPA@CuII nanocatalyst (L-DOPA = L-3,4-dihydroxyphenyylalanine): Asymmetric aza-Michael addition reaction

•A magnetically separable catalyst, Fe3O4@L-DOPA@CuII, has been synthesised and characterized.•The catalyst was used as an efficient catalyst for asymmetric aza-Michael addition reaction.•The catalyst exhibited outstanding recyclability for several consecutive cycles.

The synthesis and characterization of new copper(II)-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenyylalanine based magnetically separable nanocatalyst, namely Fe3O4@L-DOPA@CuII (L-DOPA = L-3,4-dihydroxyphenyylalanine), are described. The catalyst has been characterized by physicochemical studies. We have studied the application of this new catalyst for asymmetric aza-Michael addition reaction. This catalyst could simply be separated and recovered from the reaction mixture with the assistance of an external magnet and reused several times.

Graphical abstractA new magnetically separable nanocatalysts, namely Fe3O4@L-DOPA@CuII, have been explored in asymmetric aza-Michael addition reaction.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide