Nanoparticles of Ag, Au, Pd, and Cu produced by alcohol reduction of the salts

Nanoparticles of Ag, Au, Pd, and Cu have been prepared by the reduction of their salts by ethyl alcohol under refluxing conditions in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). In the case of Au and Cu, it was necessary to use magnesium metal as a catalyst during the reduction. The nanoparticles are in the 5-35 nm range in the case of Ag, Au, and Pd, but there is considerable agglomeration in the case of Cu even in the presence of PVP.