Benzyl alcohol-based synthesis of oxide nanoparticles: the perspective of S(N)1 reaction mechanism

In this paper, we describe a class of benzyl alcohol-based reactions for the synthesis of a series of inorganic oxide nanoparticles. Benzyl alcohol served as both the solvent and the reagent to interact with various metal chlorides for the synthesis of a series of metal oxides and compound oxides. Typical metal(IV) oxides, like TiO2, metal(III) oxides, like Fe2O3, and metal(II) oxides, like ZnO, with uniform size and special dispersibility, have been prepared through these reactions. The reaction can be illustrated from the perspective of S(N)1 reaction mechanism attributed to the easier formation of benzyl carbocation and unique reactivity of benzyloxy group with nucleophilic agents. By adjusting the experimental conditions, it was found that this type of reaction is available for the synthesis of many inorganic oxides.