In situ synthesis of ultrafine Cu(ii) metal immobilized on pectin hydrogel, modified by a CoFe₂O₄/Pr-SO₃H nanocomposite as a green catalyst for reduction of nitro compounds and synthesis of 1 H-tetrazoles

Synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles and reduction of a variety of nitro compounds presents a promising solution for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. However, the development of green catalysts with superior catalytic performance for this reaction remains a significant challenge. This research introduces a green protocol for the in situ creation of ultrafine Cu(ii) metal immobilized on the surface of pectin hydrogel (HPEC), modified by a CoFe₂O₄/Pr-SO₃H magnetic nanocomposite, enabling the synthesis of tetrazoles and reduction of nitro compounds. This catalyst exhibits superior catalytic performance under green reaction conditions, short reaction time, catalyst separation, and thermal stability. The heterogeneous catalyst's structure and composition were thoroughly analyzed using various techniques such as FT-IR, FE-SEM, VSM, ICP-OES, TGA, XRD, BET, EDX, and X-ray mapping.