Preparation and characterization of supported bimetallic gold–iron nanoparticles, and its potential for heterogeneous catalysis

Bimetallic gold–iron catalysts supported on ZrO 2 and TiO 2 were prepared by under potential deposition. The characterization of the catalysts was performed using an inductively coupled plasma, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (DR/UV–vis), and transmission electron microscopy. The catalytic properties of the prepared materials in synthesis of isoxazol-5-(4H)-ones in a one-pot three-component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, ethyl acetoacetate, and hydroxylamine hydrochloride were studied. The chemical structures of the different reaction products were confirmed by 1 H NMR, 1 C NMR. The noteworthy advantages of our simple method, which occurred in efficient, simple, clean, green, mild conditions, and easy workup, gave different isoxazol-5-(4H)-ones with good to high yields (66–78%). The reuse of the catalyst shows that this catalyst can be used up to three cycles without any change in the yield of products.