Highly efficient copper-imprinted functionalized mesoporous organosilica nanocomposites as a recyclable catalyst for click synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives under ultrasound irradiation: multivariate study by factorial design of experiments

Abstract

We have developed a convenient green method for one-pot synthesis of β-hydroxy-1,2,3-triazoles through three-component coupling of a variety of epoxides and alkynes over copper-imprinted periodic mesoporous organosilica nanocomposites (Cu@PMO NCs) in water under ultrasound irradiation. The surface response obtained from an experimental Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to model the catalytic synthesis of β-hydroxy-1,2,3-triazole. This method was an economical way of obtaining the optimal reaction conditions based on a restricted number of experiments. Reactions were performed in ultrasound equipment and different variables, such as the amount of catalyst, ultrasound irradiation frequency and ultrasound time, were investigated. Our method is more environmentally friendly than previous methods because it uses water as the solvent, uses ultrasound irradiation, uses a catalyst that is reusable for up to six runs without appreciable loss of activity, and has short reaction times and high yields. Furthermore, the mathematical model of the reaction represents the process well and shows good correlation with the experimental results.