Synthesis and characterization of copper (II)-poly(acrylic acid)/M-MCM-41 nanocomposite as a novel mesoporous solid acid catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives

Abstract

In this study, a novel mesoporous silica nanocomposite (MSNC) based on poly(acrylic acid) and amine-functionalized MCM-41 mesoporous silica as amplification agents was constructed via an ultrasonic-assisted method as a straightforward, fast, eco-friendly and it is denoted as M-MCM-41. Then Cu (II) was immobilized on PAA/M-MCM-41 surface and the novel heterogeneous reusable catalyst was fully characterized using appropriate techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and N2 adsorption–desorption. The resulting catalyst was successfully used for the condensation of various aromatic aldehydes, dimedone, ß-ketoester and ammonium acetate under solvent-free and mild conditions to yield polyhydroquinoline derivatives in good to excellent yields. Also, the experimental evidence was demonstrated that Cu (II)-PAA/M-MCM-41 nanocomposite could act as a recoverable and reusable nanocatalyst without a meaningful drop in the yield and the reaction time at least four times.