Functionalized ionic liquid tagged Cu(II) catalyst: Design, characterization, and application in synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine

Department of Chemistry, Visva-Bharati (A Central University), Santiniketan-731 235, West Bengal, India
E-mail: alakananda.hajra@visva-bharati.ac.in
Manuscript received online 10 November 2020, revised and accepted 25 December 2020

A new ionic liquid tagged Cu(II) catalyst has been prepared by the reaction between imidazolium-based task-specific ionic
liquid and CuO. Its catalytic activity has been evaluated in a cascade reaction involving 2-aminopyridine, aldehyde, and terminal
alkyne. A bunch of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines was synthesized efficiently in high yields and the catalyst is easily recyclable
without significant loss of catalytic activity. The catalyst structure was established by X-ray crystallography.