Synthesis, characterization and catalytic evaluation of BiCl3-ZrO2 for the synthesis of novel pyrazolyl chalcones

•Highly efficient solvent-free protocol for the synthesis of novel pyrazolyl chalcones.•BiCl3-ZrO2 is used as non-toxic, easily separable and reusable heterogeneous catalyst.•Excellent yields of products and short reaction times.•The catalyst is characterized by FT-IR, powder XRD, SEM-EDX, XRF, BET and DSC-TG Analysis.

BiCl3-ZrO2 as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst is prepared by a simple process and characterized by FT-IR, powder XRD, SEM-EDX, XRF and BET surface area analyses. Thermal stability of the catalyst has been examined by DSC-TG analyses. The catalyst is recyclable for several runs preserving its high activity. The catalytic activity of BiCl3-ZrO2 is explained by synthesizing a series of novel pyrazolyl chalcones in excellent yields.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (135 K)Download as PowerPoint slide