Abstract
Zn:Cr mixed oxide catalyst was examined as an effective and recyclable catalyst for the synthesis selected pyrimidine derivatives in high yield. The catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, BET, SEM, EDX and Zeta potential analysis. Substituted 4-aryl-6-(3-coumarinyl) pyrimidine-2(1H)-ones were prepared in high yield and purity via the cyclocondensation of urea and 3-acetylcoumarin with substituted aldehydes in the presence of a catalytic amount of Zn:Cr mixed oxide catalyst as Lewis acid at ambient temperature. The effect of the molar ratio of the catalyst was also studied, and as a result, Zn:Cr (10:1) showed better catalytic performance than Zn:Cr (1:1) at identical reaction conditions. Furthermore, catalyst stability was intact as confirmed by the catalyst recyclability experiment.