Resumen de Bringing Catalysis with Gold Nanoparticles in Green Solvents to Graduate Level Students

Vikram Singh Raghuwanshi, Robert Wendt, Maeve O'Neill, Miguel Ochmann, Tirtha Som, Robert Fenger, Marie Mohrmann, Armin Hoell, Klaus Rademann

• We demonstrate here a novel laboratory experiment for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by using a low energy gold-sputtering method together with a modern, green, and biofriendly deep eutectic solvent (DES). The strategy is straightforward, economical, ecofriendly, rapid, and clean. It yields uniform AuNPs of 5 nm in diameter with high reproducibility. Moreover, catalytic applications of AuNPs in DES are shown by studying the conversion of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol. Systematic in situ UV–vis spectra are recorded during the catalytic reaction. While the experimental procedures are simple, our laboratory experiments can be applied in a variety of settings depending upon how detailed the instructor requires the depth of the analyses. The laboratory experiments described herein were successfully conducted and evaluated by students with a bachelor degree.