ZnCl2 supported on Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell nanocatalyst for the synthesis of quinolines via Friedlander synthesis under solvent-free condition

A magnetic nanocatalyst of Fe3O4@SiO2/ZnCl2 was prepared by supporting ZnCl2 on silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles of Fe3O4. This recoverable catalyst was used for the synthesis of quinolines via Friedlader synthesis from 2-aminoaryl ketones and a-methylene ketones under solvent-free condition. The prepared catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, TEM, SEM, XRD, EDX, ICP-OES, VSM and BET. It was found that Fe3O4@SiO2/ZnCl2 showed higher catalytic activity than homogenous ZnCl2, and could be reused several times without significant loss of activity.