Ordered silica matrices supported ionic liquids as highly efficient catalysts for fine chemical synthesis

Two different ionic liquids (ILs), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate were used to design the mesoporous silica and to prepare a novel catalyst for the synthesis of β-amino alcohols. In this study, a feasible method was utilized for the binding of ionic liquid (IL) with mesoporous assembly, and the strong interaction of each IL with a series of mesoporous silica was confirmed from the various characterization techniques. The structural properties are studied in detail by experimental techniques as well as by DFT calculations. The chosen ILs have different cationic and anionic parts, however, almost similar activity was observed, which is investigated in the present study. This article illustrates how the strong interaction of IL with mesoporous silica culminated in the creation of a robust heterogeneous catalyst. Reusability and structural analysis of spent catalysts are used to analyze the resilience of all prepared catalysts.