MnO₂ @Fe₃ O₄ Magnetic Nanoparticles as Efficient and Recyclable Heterogeneous Catalyst for Benzylic sp³ C-H Oxidation

Herein, we report a highly chemoselective and efficient heterogeneous MnO₂ @Fe₃ O₄ MNP catalyst for the oxidation of benzylic sp³ C-H group of ethers using TBHP as a green oxidant to afford ester derivatives in high yield under batch/continuous flow module. This catalyst was also effective for the benzylic sp³ C-H group of methylene derivatives to furnish the ketone in high yield which can be easily integrated into continuous flow condition for scale up. The catalyst is fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques and it was found that 0.424 % MnO₂ @Fe₃ O₄ catalyzes the reaction; the magnetic nanoparticles of this catalyst could be easily recovered from the reaction mixture. The recovered catalyst was recycled for twelve cycles without any loss of the catalytic activity. The advantages of MnO₂ @Fe₃ O₄ MNP are its catalytic activity, easy preparation, recovery, and recyclability, gram scale synthesis with a TOF of up to 14.93 h^-1 and low metal leaching during the reaction.