Solvent-Free Biginelli Reactions Catalyzed by Hierarchical Zeolite Utilizing a Ball Mill Technique: A Green Sustainable Process

• Main Authors: Ameen Shahid, Nesreen S. Ahmed, Tamer S. Saleh, Shaeel Ahmed Al-Thabaiti, Sulaiman N. Basahel, Wilhelm Schwieger, Mohamed Mokhtar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-03-01
• Series: Catalysts
• Subjects: hierarchical; MFI27; Biginelli; dihydropyrimidinones; ball mill
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/7/3/84

A sustainable, green one-pot process for the synthesis of dihydropyrimidinones (DHPMs) derivatives by a three-component reaction of β-ketoester derivatives, aldehyde and urea or thiourea over the alkali-treated H-ZSM-5 zeolite under ball-milling was developed. Isolation of the product with ethyl acetate shadowed by vanishing of solvent was applied. The hierachical zeolite catalyst (MFI27_6) showed high yield (86%–96%) of DHPMs in a very short time (10–30 min). The recyclability of the catalyst for the subsequent reactions was examined in four subsequent runs. The catalyst was shown to be robust without a detectable reduction in catalytic activity, and high yields of products showed the efficient protocol of the Biginelli reactions.