ZnO nanorods: Efficient and reusable catalysts for the synthesis of substituted imidazoles in water

A simple procedure has been developed for the synthesis of ZnO nanorods (ZnO NRs). The newly synthesized crystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the catalytic activity was examined in the one-pot, three-component synthesis of 2,4,5-triaryl-1H-imidazoles in water under reflux conditions. The results confirmed ZnO NRs to be mild, benign and effective catalysts for the preparation of tri-substituted imidazoles in high yield via an operationally simple and environmentally friendly procedure. Furthermore, the catalyst can be conveniently recovered and reused for at least three runs without any activity loss.