Nano-ordered B-MCM-41: An efficient and recoverable solid acid catalyst for three-component Strecker reaction of carbonyl compounds, amines and TMSCN

The three-component Strecker reaction of a wide range of aldehydes or ketones and different amines with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) was efficiently catalyzed by the nano-ordered mesoporous borosilicate (B-MCM-41) at room temperature to afford the corresponding αα-amino nitriles in high to quantitative yields in short reaction time. B-MCM-41 showed higher catalytic activity than Fe(III)-modified MCM-41 (Fe-MCM-41). Furthermore, the use of EtOH increased the rate of reaction remarkably compared to CH2Cl2 or CH3CN. The B-MCM-41 catalyst can be recovered at least 4 times without significant loss of its catalytic activity.