Green Synthesis of Palladium Nanoparticles Using Phoenix dactylifera Aqueous Extract and Catalytic Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes

International Journal of Chemistry | Vol. 3, No. 12, December 2012 | pp. 114–121

DOI: 10.46882/2012/IJC/000051

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Green Synthesis of Palladium Nanoparticles Using Phoenix dactylifera Aqueous Extract and Catalytic Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes

Names of Authors: S. I. Musa¹, H. Al-Masri²*

Authors’ Affiliations:
¹Department of Chemistry, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria.
²Department of Chemistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract: The biological synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles using desert plant matrices offers a sustainable approach to green heterogeneous catalysis. This study presents the green synthesis of stable palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) utilizing the aqueous seed extract of Phoenix dactylifera (Date palm) as a powerful reducing and stabilizing agent. The bioreduction process was monitored via UV-Vis spectrophotometry, which revealed the complete disappearance of the palladium chloride absorption band within 45 minutes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses showed spherical palladium nanoparticles with an average diameter of 12 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the highly crystalline, face-centered cubic lattice profile of the biosynthesized metallic palladium. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy indicated that water-soluble polyphenols and reducing sugars within the date seed matrix were responsible for capping and protecting the PdNPs against structural agglomeration. The catalytic efficiency of the synthesized PdNPs was evaluated by tracking the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) in an aqueous system. In the presence of the green catalyst, the reaction achieved 98.4% conversion within 8 minutes. The hydrogenation kinetics conformed tightly to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model with a rate constant of 0.312 min⁻¹, indicating excellent catalytic potential for industrial nitro-aromatic wastewater treatment.

Keywords: Palladium nanoparticles; Green synthesis; Phoenix dactylifera; Crystalline structure; Heterogeneous catalysis; Nitroarenes

Manuscript Timeline: Received: June 15, 2012; Revised: July 28, 2012; Accepted: August 20, 2012; Published: December 04, 2012.

Citation: Musa, S. I., & Al-Masri, H. (2012). Green Synthesis of Palladium Nanoparticles Using Phoenix dactylifera Aqueous Extract and Catalytic Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes. International Journal of Chemistry, 3(12), 114–121.

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