Immobilized ionic liquid on superparamagnetic nanoparticles as an effective catalyst for the synthesis of tetrasubstituted imidazoles under solvent-free conditions and microwave irradiation

The ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl) imidazolium chloride was immobilized on superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (IL-MNPs) and used as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles under solvent-free conditions using microwave irradiation. The reactions in conventional heating conditions were compared with the microwave-assisted reactions. The combined merits of microwave irradiation and immobilized ionic liquid on superparamagnetic nanoparticles make the four-component condensation with safe operation, low pollution, and rapid access to products and simple work-up. (C) 2013 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.