Magnetic nanoparticle supported amine: An efficient and environmental benign catalyst for versatile Knoevenagel condensation under ultrasound irradiation

Amine functionalized silica coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (SiO₂@MNP-A) were successfully prepared as a novel heterogeneous amine. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TEM, magnetic measurement, elemental analysis and was found to be a magnetically separable and highly active catalyst for ambient Knoevenagel condensation of aromatic aldehydes and α-aromatic (heteroaromatic or polyaromatic)-substituted methylene compounds in water under ultrasonic irradiation to afford the corresponding products in good to excellent yields. Very interestingly, SiO₂@MNP-A successfully catalyze the reaction of the non-cyano substituted compound with benzaldehyde to achieve a key intermediate for the preparation of Atorvastatin calcium in green and atom-economic manner. In addition, the catalyst SiO₂@MNP-A can be reused for 8 times without any obvious loss of its activity. The role of ultrasonication in the Knoevenagel condensation was also discussed with the assistance of UV–vis spectrometry.