Mesoporous Titania-Iron(III) Oxide with Nanoscale Porosity and High Catalytic Activity for the Synthesis of β-Amino Alcohols and Benzimidazole Derivatives

A mesoporous TiO2-Fe2O3 mixed oxide material (MTF-1E) with nanoscale porosity and a high BET surface area was synthesized using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a structure-directing agent. The material was characterized by powder XRD, high-resolution TEM, N-2 sorption, and NH3 temperature-programmed desorption studies. The catalyst shows an excellent regioselectivity for the ring-opening of epoxides with amines under solvent-free conditions at room temperature for the synthesis of a series of beta-amino alcohols. It also showed a very high catalytic efficiency for the synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives in water. The catalyst can be recovered easily from the reaction medium and reused six times without a significant decrease in its catalytic activity and selectivity.