A highly active ionic liquid catalyst for Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction

The Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction is an efficient carbon-carbon bond forming reaction for the preparation of α-methylene-β-hydroxycarbonyl compounds. A new and highly active di-naphthalene imidazolium salt has been synthesized. We have found that 1,3-bis2-(naphthalene-2-yloxy)propyl]imidazolium bromid promoted the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of various aryl aldehyde compounds in the absence of solvents. Our studies show that the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction by the influence of ionic liquid to give a high yield and short reaction time.