Nanorod vanadatesulfuric acid as a novel, recyclable and heterogeneous catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of tetrahydrobenzopyrans.

Vanadatesulfuric acid (VSA), as a novel and heterogeneous nanorod catalyst, was used for an efficient synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[b]pyrans using an aldehydes, 1,3-cyclohexanediones or beta-ketoester and malononitrile in C2H5OH/H2O mixture under reflux conditions. VSA is prepared via the reaction of sodium metavanadate and chlorosulfonic acid in high purity. The catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TEM and EDAX analysis. Compared to the conventional method, this method consistently has the advantage of high yields, simple workup, short reaction times and reusability of the catalyst.