Iron (III)-schiff base immobilized on porous silica and magnetite: a comparison study for oxidation of benzylic alcohols and sulfides

The iron (III) Schiff base complex was immobilized on magnetic silica as well as mesoporous silica substrates and characterized by XRD, TEM, FT-IR, AAS, VSM techniques, and in the case of mesoporous silica, it was also identified with N2 adsorption/desorption and TGA methods. These materials were applied for oxidation of benzyl alcohols and sulfides with hydrogen peroxide as a green oxidant. The effect of catalyst structures was studied in the mentioned reactions. The results showed that using of mesoporous silica in the oxidation of sulfides and benzyl alcohols with hydrogen peroxide in the optimal reaction conditions provided a higher catalytic yield in the same or even less reaction time, The higher catalytic performance of the mesoporous substrate based on the identifications (carried out by N2 adsorption/desorption technique) can be attributed to the higher surface area of this substrate and the stronger connection of the Schiff base complex of iron (III) to the mesoporous silica (according to leaching test).