Pd nanoparticles Incarcerated in Aluminium Oxy-Hydroxide: An Efficient and Recyclable Heterogeneous Catalyst for Selective Knoevenagel Condensation

WOS: 000395434600064Knoevenagel condensation between aryl aldehyde derivatives with malononitrile was successfully achieved using commer-cially available Pd/AlO(OH) nanoparticles (0.5 wt% Pd) in an aqueous medium. All benzylidenemalononitrile (BMN) deriva-tives were obtained promptly (8-60 min) with high selectivity and yields of over 99% in a mixture of H2O/MeOH (v/v= 1/2) at room temperature. Moreover, when benzoyl chloride deriva-tives were utilized instead of aryl aldehyde derivatives, medium amounts of the expected products were yielded. Before the reaction and after five reuses, characterization of the Pd/AlO(OH) nanoparticles was carried out via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The BMN derivative characterization was accomplished using the (HNMR)-H-1 and (CNMR)-C-13 spectra. In order to optimize the reaction conditions, the parametric effects of the solvent type and catalyst amount were examined. Consequently, the PdAlO(OH) NPs were used for the first time in the Knoevenagel condensation. A novel, practical and eco-friendly process was developed for Knoevenagel condensation in the presence of Pd/AlO(OH) nanoparticles.Duzce University Research FundDuzce University [2015.26.04.371]This research was supported by Duzce University Research Fund (grant no. 2015.26.04.371)