A Green Multicomponent One-pot Synthesis of 9, 10-Diaryl-7H-benzo[d,e]imidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-7-one Derivatives using Nanoporous Base Silica (SBA-Pr-NH2) as Catalyst

Organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous materials such as amino functionalized silica (SBA-Pr-NH2) have received considerable attention due to their basic catalytic applications and adsorption functions. In this work, we investigated the efficient role of SBA-Pr-NH2 as a heterogeneous nano catalyst in the synthesis of 9,10-diaryl-7H-benzo[d,e]imidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-7-one derivatives. Application of SBA-Pr-NH2 as an eco-friendly and reusable catalyst resulted in reducing reaction time and temperature in this method. The preparation method was developed using a green one-pot three-component reaction of acenaphthoquinone, benzils and ammonium acetate under solvent-free condition. Besides, the synthesis of benzil derivatives as starting material was carried out. The new compounds were characterized by IR, mass, and NMR spectroscopy. The significant merits of this protocol are its simplicity, short reaction times, low reaction temperature, catalyst reusability, and non-chromatographic purification of products. Also, imidazole and benzimidazole moieties represent significant substructures of a wide variety of bioactive compounds and also significant structural motifs in biological systems, natural products, and drugs.