Synthesis, characterization and catalytic evaluation of ZrCl4:Mg(ClO4)2 for the synthesis of 1,3-diaryl-3-(phenylthio)propan-1-one

Herein we demonstrate a novel tandem aldol condensation-thia-Michael addition process using a bimetallic catalyst (ZrCl4:Mg(ClO4)2). The novel bimetallic catalyst performs under very mild conditions. The catalyst helps in the efficient synthesis of β-mercapto carbonyl derivatives from chalcones and thiols in one-pot method. We successfully used the zirconium tetrachloride in combination with magnesium perchlorate in a specific ratio which is considered as green catalyst and efficiently worked for the synthesis of β-mercapto carbonyl derivatives at room temperature. This is the first report which presents the use of ZrCl4:Mg(ClO4)2 without calcination. Significant advantages of this method are that the reaction is performed under mild conditions, shows good selectivity and high yield, within short reaction times and easy workup. This method minimizes waste disposal problems as well, which makes present method highly efficient and convenient. The synthesized bimetallic catalyst was characterized by different analytical techniques such as XRD and SEM. Subsequently, the synthesized β-mercapto carbonyl products were identified by using FTIR, NMR, GC–MS and CHN elemental analyzer.