Synthesis and Characterization of Hybrid Mg(OH)2 and CeCO3OH Composite with Improved Activity Towards Henry Reaction

A new approach was developed for carbon-carbon bond formation via Henry reaction using a mixture of Mg(OH)(2) and CeCO3OH (MgCe-HDC). The MgCe-HDC was synthesized using a co-precipitation method and was characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA-DTA, and AFM. The effects of temperature, solvent, and the amount of catalyst were investigated to find the optimum reaction conditions. The highest yield of nitroaldol product, 92%, was achieved over the reusable solid base catalyst in solvent-free conditions at 20 degrees C.