Sustainable synthesis of benzimidazoles catalyzed by recyclable functionalized organosilica

A highly efficient protocol is herein reported for the preparation of benzimidazole compounds from o-phenylenediamine and various benzaldehyde derivatives in the presence of heterogeneous pyridinium protic ionic liquids supported on periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) in water. The synthesis of three novel benzimidazole derivatives is also reported. The proposed approach successfully afforded products in good yield under mild reaction conditions. PMO-Py-IL exhibited excellent catalyst activity and reusability for at least ten reaction cycles with no significant activity loss. © 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.