Enhancement of catalytic activity in the synthesis of 2-amino-4H-chromene derivatives using both copper- and cobalt-incorporated magnetic ferrite nanoparticles

Cu0.5Co0.5Fe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles were prepared, characterized and employed as bench-top, highly active and magnetically separable nanocatalysts for the synthesis of 2-amino-4H-chromene derivatives. A wide range of 2-amino-3-cyano-7-hydroxy-4(phenyl)-4H-chromenes were synthesized with high isolated yields during very short reaction times using Cu0.5Co0.5Fe2O4. Interestingly, the catalyst could be separated using only a simple magnetic decantation and reused six times with no considerable loss of efficiency. The high catalytic activity of Cu0.5Co0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles was attributed to the presence of both copper and cobalt in its framework, which provide a synergistic catalytic effect with enhanced activity in comparison to single metal-incorporated spinels.