Salen complex of Cu(II) supported on superparamagnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles: An efficient and recyclable catalyst for synthesis of 1- and 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles

•1-and 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles were synthesized from nitriles and amines.•Magnetic nanocatalyst Fe3O4@SiO2/Salen complex of Cu(II) has been synthesized.•Magnetic Nanocatalyst can be easily recovered by an external magnetic field.

An efficient and general method has been developed for synthesis of 1- and 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles from nitriles and amines using magnetite nanoparticles immobilized Salen Cu(II) as an efficient and recyclable catalyst. The structural and magnetic properties of functionalized magnetic silica are identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) instruments. NMR, FT-IR, elemental analysis and XRD were also used for identification of these structures.Nanocatalyst can be easily recovered by a magnetic field and reused for subsequent reactions for at least 7 times with less deterioration in catalytic activity.

Graphical abstractAn efficient and general method has been developed for synthesis of 1- and 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles from nitriles and amines using magnetite nanoparticles immobilized Salen Cu(II) as an efficient and recyclable catalyst. Nanocatalyst can be easily recovered by a magnetic field and reused for 7 successive runs.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide