Sol–gel derived LaFeO3/SiO2 nanocomposite: synthesis, characterization and its application as a new, green and recoverable heterogeneous catalyst for the efficient acetylation of amines, alcohols and phenols

LaFeO3/SiO2 nanocomposite was synthesized by the sol–gel process from metal nitrates and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the SiO2 source. The nanocomposite product was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and surface area measurements and was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the efficient acetylation of amines, alcohols and phenols to the corresponding acetates using acetic anhydride under solvent-free conditions. Among the various substrates, acetylation of amines was preceded rapidly, so that an amine group could be selectively acetylated in the presence of alcoholic or phenolic hydroxyl groups by the appropriate choice of reaction time. The catalyst can also be reused several times without the loss of activity. In addition, the catalytic activity of the LaFeO3/SiO2 nanocomposite was higher than that of the pure LaFeO3 nanoparticles. The method is high yielding, clean, cost effective, compatible with the substrates having other functional groups and very suitable for the practical organic synthesis.