A heterogeneous catalyst, MCM-41-dtz-Ni, was synthesized by anchoring a nickel complex in functionalized mesoporous MCM-41 and used as an efficient, recoverable and thermally stable nanocatalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones from 2-aminobenzamide and aromatic aldehydes in PEG. Nanospherical MCM-41 with an average size of 40 nm and pore diameter of 3 nm was prepared through solegel approach using tetraethyl orthosilicate (Si(OC2H5)4) as silica source. The structure of functionalized MCM-41 was studied by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, EDS, ICP and BET techniques. MCM-41- dtz-Ni exhibits excellent catalytic activity for the synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones under mild reaction conditions. The heterogeneous catalyst showed good recyclability and can be reused for five consecutive cycles without significant loss of its catalytic activity.
