ZnO nanoparticles catalyzed C–N bond-forming reactions: A highly efficient protocol to convert electron-deficient anilines to formanilides

573-581Herein, we report a protocol for the conversion of electron-deficient anilines to formanilides at room temperature using ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The ZnO NPs of different shapes have been synthesized by conventional co-precipitation techniques and are characterized fully using different microscopic, diffractometric and spectroscopic techniques. The developed protocol is simple, green, inexpensive, and highly efficient. The products can be conveniently separated from the reaction mixture without using the conventional tedious and expensive chromatographic techniques. The protocol is effective for a wide range of substituted anilines, aliphatic amines and heterocycles with moderate to excellent yield. The catalyst is highly stable and is reusable up to the 5th cycle without loss of catalytic activity