Fe3O4@MOF core–shell magnetic microspheres as excellent catalysts for the Claisen–Schmidt condensation reaction

Separation and recycling of catalysts after catalytic reactions are critically required to reduce the cost of catalysts as well as to avoid the generation of waste in industrial applications. In this work, we present a facile fabrication and characterization of a novel type of MOF-based porous catalyst, namely, Fe3O4@MIL-100(Fe) core–shell magnetic microspheres. It has been shown that these catalysts not only exhibit high catalytic activities for the Claisen–Schmidt condensation reactions under environmentally friendly conditions, but remarkably, they can be easily separated and recycled without significant loss of catalytic efficiency after being used for many times. Therefore, compared to other reported catalysts used in the Claisen–Schmidt condensation reactions, these catalysts are green, cheap and more suitable for large scale industrial applications.