Sonochemical synthesis of ortho-aminocarbonitrile tetrahydronaphthalenes using mesoporous yolk–shell nanocomposites as a recyclable heterogeneous catalyst and evaluation of their in vitro antimicrobial activities

Abstract

A mobile Ca/Mg core was formed inside the silica shell of mesoporous yolk– shell nanocomposites (CaO-MgO@SiO2). This new structure of hollow mesoporous silica spheres has been successfully synthesized inside the inner cavity. The used carbon spheres as a rigid template in the multi-step synthetic process are covered with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and a mixture of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Then, the tetrahydronaphthalenes were synergistically synthesized using CaO-MgO@SiO2 nanocomposites as a nanocatalyst under ultrasound irradiation. By this technique, the required items could be produced with a high to excellent efficiency between 90% and 98% and the reaction times of 5–15 min. As an effective and reusable catalyst in multicomponent processes, the CaO-MgO@SiO2 catalyst exhibits high reactivity. The FT-IR, 1H NMR, and melting point methods were used to identify all of the products. Moreover, FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, Mapping, and HRTEM techniques are used to characterize the prepared catalysts. Also, in vitro antibacterial activity of some synthetic compounds was evaluated.