N,N-Dicarboxymethyl hydrazine (DCMH) was found to be a chemoselective derivatization reagent of carbonyl compounds and its potential applications in organic synthesis was investigated for the first time. DCMH could be employed as a chemoselective protective reagent of aldehydes and gave the parent aldehydes in satisfactory yields. In proof-of-concept systems, DCMH could play the role of a scavenger to remove aldehydes in the presence of ketones. It was also used as a tagging reagent in the selective isolation of aldehyde from the complex mixture.

A magnetically retrievable nanocomposite was prepared by in situ polycondensation and entrapment of iron oxide nanoparticles. This material was found to be efficient in trapping excess electrophilic reagents such as carbonyl compounds, acid chlorides and isothiocyanates. Advantages of the new scavenger include facile preparation, high loading capacity, low cost, satisfactory swelling properties in polar solvents, and convenient magnetic recovery.