Cu(acac)2 immobilized in ionic liquids:: A recoverable and reusable catalytic system for aza-Michael reactions

Copper(II) acetylacetonate immobilized in ionic liquids efficiently catalyzes the aza-Michael reaction of amines with alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds to produce the corresponding beta-amino carbonyl compounds with great alacrity in excellent yields. The reactions are far more facile than those reported earlier. The recovered ionic liquid phase containing the copper catalyst can be reused for several cycles with consistent activity.