Copper incorporated nanorod like mesoporous silica for one pot aerobic oxidative synthesis of pyridines

•Synthesis of copper incorporated mesoporous silica nanorod catalyst•Nanorod silica possesses pores of dimensions of 2–4 nm.•One pot aerobic oxidative synthesis of pyridines using the Cu/SiO2 catalyst•Environmentally benign oxidation process

Copper incorporated nano-rod like mesoporous silica catalyst was synthesized, characterized by N2 adsorption, HRTEM–EDX, XRD, AAS, XPS and TPD-NH3 analyses and applied in the one-pot aerobic oxidative synthesis of highly substituted pyridines. Both the enhanced surface acidity of copper incorporated silica and the redox property were essential for pyridine synthesis. Standard leaching experiment proved that the reaction was heterogeneous.

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