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Molybdenum oxide, α-MoO3, nanorods and stacked nanoplates were prepared from oxalate, citrate and tartrate precursors. These molybdenum oxides showed high efficiencies in the reduction of para-nitrophenol to para-aminophenol in the presence of NaBH4. The prepared precursors were first characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and then thermally decomposed at 350°C (oxalate precursor) and 550°C (citrate and tartrate precursors). The final oxides were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the Braunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) technique. The oxalate precursor is the most efficient catalyst for the reduction reaction.