Journal of Chemistry and Applications

Research Article

Microwave-Assisted Green Fabrication of Gum Neem Capped Gold Nanoparticles for Efficient Catalytic Reduction

Banu R1* and Mohan KC2

1Department of Chemistry, Dr. BRR GDC(A) Jadcherla, Mahabubnagar Telangana, India.
2Department of Chemistry, MALD Government Degree College Gadwal Telangana, India.
*Address for Correspondence:Ruqya Banu, Department of Chemistry, Dr. BRR GDC(A) Jadcherla, Mahabubnagar Telangana, India. EMail Id: ruqyabrr@gmail.com
Submission:20 June, 2026 Accepted:19 August, 2026 Published:22 August, 2026
Copyright: © 2026 Banu R, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: Gold Nanoparticles; Gum Neem; Green Synthesis; Catalytic Activity; UV–Vis Spectroscopy; Biogenic Nanoparticles.

Abstract

A simple and environmentally friendly method was developed for the green synthesis of stable gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using Gum Neem (GN) as both the reducing and capping agent. The synthesized AuNPs were characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The UV–Vis spectrum exhibited a characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 520–550 nm, confirming the formation of AuNPs. FTIR analysis revealed that the hydroxyl (–OH) functional groups present in Gum Neem played a crucial role in the reduction of tetrachloroauric acid to metallic gold nanoparticles. XRD analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles with a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure, while TEM images showed uniformly dispersed, nearly spherical nanoparticles with an average particle size of 12 ± 4 nm. The biosynthesized AuNPs exhibited excellent catalytic activity toward the reduction of hexacyanoferrate(III) in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). The reaction progress was monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy, and the catalytic efficiency of the AuNPs was evaluated through kinetic studies by varying the reaction temperature and catalyst concentration.