Quinuclidine-Immobilized Porous Polymeric Microparticles as a Compelling Catalyst for the Baylis-Hillman Reaction

Poly(quinuclidin-3-yl methacrylate-co-divinylbenzene) microparticles having porous as well as nonporous morphology and varying contents of quinuclidine functionality were synthesized by distillation-precipitation polymerization. Further, the synthesized microparticles were explored to catalyze the Baylis-Hillman reaction between 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and acrylonitrile. Porous and nonporous microparticles functionalized with a catalytic moiety with a loading of 70% (labeled as P70 and NP70) were employed to optimize reaction parameters such as water content, solvent, and temperature for the Baylis-Hillman reaction between 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and acrylonitrile. Using optimal conditions, the catalytic efficiency of porous and nonporous microparticles at different feed compositions was determined. Porous microparticles containing 70% of quinuclidine (P70) displayed 100% conversion within 16 h at 50 degrees C, while nonporous microparticles containing 70% of quinuclidine (NP70) displayed a relatively less catalytic conversion, which is attributed to their lower surface area. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of porous microparticles containing 70% of quinuclidine (P70) for the Baylis-Hillman reaction involving a variety of aryl aldehyde derivatives was determined, where the microparticles displayed impressive catalytic efficiency. In addition, the reusability of the microparticles functionalized with a catalytic moiety was evaluated for five cycles of catalytic reaction.

Automated summary

Poly(quinuclidin-3-yl methacrylate-co-divinylbenzene) microparticles with porous and nonporous morphology were successfully synthesized, and their catalytic activity in the Baylis-Hillman reaction was studied. The porous microparticles with 70% quinuclidine functionality demonstrated high catalytic efficiency and achieved 100% conversion within 16 hours at optimal conditions. Additionally, the microparticles displayed impressive catalytic activity in various reactions involving different aryl aldehyde derivatives.