Heterogeneous synthesis of 1,4-enediones and 1,4-diketones with manganese oxide molecular sieves OMS-2 as a recyclable catalyst

•OMS-2 acts as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for C–C bond-forming.•The catalyst can be recycled for 5 times.•Chemoselectivity of reactions can be tuned by reaction solvents.•1,4-enediones and 1,4-diketones can be prepared in one-pot manner.

An efficient manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieves OMS-2-catalyzed chemoselective synthesis of 1,4-enediones and 1,4-diketones from 1,3-dicarbonyls and α-iodoacetophenones is described. The present catalytic system can be applied in one-pot, three-component reactions of methyl ketones, 1,3-dicarbonyls and iodine. Moreover, OMS-2 can be reused at least 5 times without loss of activity.