Nanoporous hematite nanoparticles: Synthesis and applications for benzylation of benzene and aromatic compounds

•Nanoporous α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method.•The Fe2O3 was effectively used for benzylation of benzene and aromatic compounds.•The dispersion and the porous structure affect the catalytic sites of the Fe2O3.•The Fe2O3 are potential catalyst for benzylation to synthesize diphenylmethane.

The catalytic benzylation of benzene and other aromatic compounds is one of the most important reactions in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds. In this study, we report the synthesis of nanoporous α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles via a hydrothermal method and their application in the catalytic benzylation of benzene and benzyl chloride in the fabrication of diphenylmethane. Crystal structure and morphology characterization results demonstrated that the hydrothermal method enabled the fabrication of highly dispersed α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with spherical shape and an average size of 100 nm. The α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles have nanopores of less than 10 nm that are randomly distributed inside the nanoparticles. The catalytic benzylation of benzene and benzyl chloride was conducted over the synthesized α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. The results demonstrated that the synthesized α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles are effective catalysts for the benzylation of benzene and benzyl chloride with high activity and selectivity.