Preparation and Application of Silica Films Supported Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquid as Efficient and Recyclable Catalysts for Benzoin Condensations

Two silica films -immobilized imidazolium-based ionic liquids (TMICl @silica films) were prepared, characterized and utilized as efficient catalysts for the benzoin reaction. Combined characterization results from FT-IR, elemental analysis, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms and SEM, suggested that the imidazolium-based ionic liquids were successfully immobilized on the silica films. Moreover, the catalytic performance tests demonstrated that silica films immobilized imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) exhibited excellent activity for the benzoin reactions of aromatic aldehydes. The influence of catalyst concentration, temperature and reaction duration on the catalytic activity were investigated by employing 0.7TMICl @silica film(catalyst C) as the catalyst. The results also showed that the benzoin condensations of aromatic aldehydes could give desired products with satisfactory yields under the optimized conditions. Additionally, the catalyst can be effortlessly separated by filtration and reused more than five times without significant loss of activity.