Mesoporous titanosilicate Ti-TUD-1 catalyzed Knoevenagel reaction: An efficient green synthesis of trisubstituted electrophilic olefins

A new, efficient and green methodology has been developed for the Knoevenagel condensation using catalytic amount of mesoporous titanosilicate catalyst Ti-TUD-1, under mild conditions at room temperature. The method generates trisubstituted electrophilic olefins in high yields within short reaction time. The mesoporous nature of the catalyst having high surface area helps in binding the substrate to the active site. The advantage of this catalyst is its reusability with almost consistent reactivity thereby making it viable for industrial applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.