Monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles embedded in Mg-Al hydrotalcite as a highly active, magnetically separable, and recyclable solid base catalyst

Magnetically separable Mg-Al hydrotalcite was prepared by titration method in various molar ratios of (Mg + Al) to Fe, and we compared their catalytic behavior for epoxidation of 2-cyclohexen-1-one using hydrogen peroxide. The catalyst was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), and inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The FeHT100 (ratio of (Mg + Al) to Fe = 100) showed high activity and selectivity in epoxidation of 2-cyclohexen-1-one with hydrogen peroxide. After magnetic separation, FeHT100 kept superior properties and could be reused for four reactions without loss of activity.