A novel catalyst for the Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes with malononitrile and ethyl cyanoacetate under solvent free conditions

A novel, efficient and eco-friendly MgO/ZrO2 catalyst is put forward for the Knoevenagel condensation. The as synthesized catalyst MgO/ZrO2 was characterized by elemental analysis, XRD, FTIR, particle size, SEM–EDXS, average pore diameter, BET surface area analysis, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The Knoevenagel condensation of several aldehydes with ethyl cyanoacetate and malononitrile was carried out at 60 °C on MgO/ZrO2 catalyst in the absence of solvent.