Methods, materials, and systems for converting organic acids to alcohols

A method of synthesizing a superparamagnetic catalyst, the method comprising:

• contacting at least one salt of a ferromagnetic material in a strong base with at least one linking compound to form a first mixture;
• adding one or more paramagnetic salts to the first mixture to form a second mixture;
• heating the second mixture to form a pre-catalytic material;
• cooling and washing the pre-catalytic material;
• isolating the pre-catalytic material from the second mixture;
• and
• annealing the isolated pre-catalytic material to form the superparamagnetic catalyst.

A flow-through system for synthesizing an alcohol using a superparamagnetic catalyst, the system comprising:

• a reaction chamber adapted for fluid communication with a source of a reactant, water, and a superparamagnetic catalyst, and in fluid communication with a fluid outlet port;
• a pump in fluid communication with the reaction chamber;
• and
• a magnetic field generator located proximate the reaction chamber and adapted to create a fluctuating magnetic field within the reaction chamber,
• wherein the reactant is at least one carboxylic acid.

A method comprising,

• contacting an organic material with water to form a first mixture;
• contacting the first mixture with a superparamagnetic catalyst to form a second mixture;
• and
• exposing the second mixture to a fluctuating magnetic field to form a third mixture thereby yielding a hydroxylated derivative of the organic material, wherein the method is carried out at ambient conditions.