Polyethyleneimine-immobilized CoCl2 nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, application as a new efficient and reusable nanocomposite catalyst for one-step transesterification reaction

Polyethyleneimine-supported cobalt (II) chloride as a novel polymeric nanocomposite acidic catalyst for the one-stage transesterification reaction of ethyl acetate with various alcohols is reported. The catalyst was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering technique, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Furthermore, inductively coupled plasma and atomic absorption spectroscopy were used to determine the quantity of Cobalt nanoparticles in the catalyst. By adding the catalyst (0.10 g, 0.20 mol%) and n-hexane/chloroform (5.0 cm³) as solvent under reflux conditions, the studies demonstrated successful transesterification reactions with excellent yields (80–98%) and short reaction times (0.50–1.30 h) using various substrates on the scale of 1.0 mmol. Seven consecutive reactions could be performed on the catalyst without significantly decreasing its activity. The most noteworthy aspects of this process are its low cost, safety, and environmental friendliness due to the catalyst’s non-toxicity, straightforward operation, and effective outcomes.