Synthesis, Characterization and Application of Poly(4-Methyl Vinylpyridinium Hydroxide)/SBA-15 Composite as a Highly Active Heterogeneous Basic Catalyst for the Knoevenagel Reaction

In this paper poly (4-methyl vinylpyridinium hydroxide)/SBA-15 composite was prepared as a highly efficient heterogeneous basic catalyst by in situ polymerization method for the first time. It was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, BET, TGA, SEM and back titration using NaOH. This catalyst exhibited the excellent catalytic activities for the Knoevenagel condensation of various aldehydes with ethyl cyanoacetate. Over this catalyst, ${\alpha},{\beta}$-unsaturated carbonyl compounds were obtained in the reasonable yield at $95^{\circ}C$ in 10 - 30 min in $H_2O$ as a solvent with a 100% selectivity to the condensation products. Catalyst could be easily recycled after the reaction and it could be reused without the significant loss of activity/selectivity performance. No by-product formation, high yields, short reaction times, mild reaction conditions and operational simplicity with reusability of the catalyst were the salient features of the present synthetic protocol. Presence of $H_2O$ as a solvent was also recognized as a "green method".