Knoevenagel Condensation in Room Temperature Ionic Liquids under Microwave Irradiation

The room temperature ionic liquids 1-butyl-3ethylimidazolium bromide were synthesized and used as microwave absorbent for the Knoevenagel condensation reaction.The reaction rate of benzaldehyde and substituted benzaldehyde with ethyl cyanoacetate could be sped up markedly.The factors affecting the reaction,including the amount of ionic liquid,the reaction time and the power of microwave were studied.The experimental results show that the reaction time is shortened,the reaction procedure is simple and the yield is up to 70%.