Controlled Synthesis of the Henry Reaction Products: Nitroalcohol Versus Nitrostyrene by a Simple Change of Amino-Groups of Aminofunctionalized Nanoporous Catalysts

A synthetic method for controlling the Henry reaction products from nitrostyrene to nitroalcohol in heterogeneous catalysis by a simple change of the catalytic sites in organoamine-functionalized mesoporous catalysts is reported. The synthesis resulted in either beta-nitrostyrene or beta-nitroalcohol by simple change of the types of amine functional groups in the amine-functionalized mesoporous catalysts from primary amines into secondary or tertiary.