Selective heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of ketone (C═O) to alcohol (OH) by magnetite nanoparticles following Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic approach.

Magnetite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and effectively employed as heterogeneous catalyst for hydrogenation of ketone moiety to alcohol moiety by NaBH4 under the microwave radiation process. The improvement was achieved in percent recovery of isopropyl alcohol by varying and optimizing reaction time, power of microwave radiations and amount of catalyst. The catalytic study revealed that acetone would be converted into isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with 99.5% yield in short period of reaction time, using 10 μg of magnetite NPs (Fe3O4). It was observed that the catalytic hydrogenation reaction, followed second-order of reaction and the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic mechanism, which elucidated that both reactants get adsorb onto the surface of silica coated magnetite nanocatalyst to react. Consequently, the rate-determining step was the surface reaction of acetone and sodium borohydride. The current study revealed an environment friendly conversion of acetone to IPA on the basis of its fast, efficient, and highly economical method of utilization of microwave irradiation process and easy catalyst recovery.