Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles by a newly isolated strain Trichosporon montevideense for catalytic hydrogenation of nitroaromatics

To investigate green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by Trichosporon montevideense, and to study their reduction of nitroaromatics. AuNPs had a characteristic absorption maximum at 535 nm. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the biosynthesized nanoparticles were attached on the cell surface. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the particles formed as face-centered cubic (111)-oriented crystals. The average size of AuNPs decreased from 53 to 12 nm with increasing biomass concentration. The catalytic reduction of 2-nitrophenol, 3-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, o-nitrophenylamine and m-nitrophenylamine (0.1 mM) by NaBH4 had reaction rate constants of 0.32, 0.44, 0.09, 0.24 and 0.39 min(-1) with addition of 1.45 × 10(-2) mM AuNPs. An eco-friendly approach for synthesis of AuNPs by T. montevideense is reported for the first time. The biogenic AuNPs could serve as efficient catalysts for hydrogenation of various nitroaromatics.