CuO- Nanocomposite: An Efficient Recyclable Catalyst for the Synthesis of Aryl-14H-dibenzo[a-j]xanthenes

CuO-CeO2 nanocomposite is reported as a highly efficient recyclable catalyst that is applied for the synthesis of Aryl-14H-dibenzo[a-j]xanthenes under solvent-free conditions. The catalyst was synthesized by coprecipitation method and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), BET specific surface area, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The copper nanoparticles are dispersed as fine and amorphous phases on the surface of ceria and made nanoclusters with average size of about 33 nm. This catalyst can be recovered by simple filtration and recycled up to 8 consecutive runs without any losing of its efficiency. This procedure provides several advantages such as simple workup, mild reaction conditions, short reaction times, and high yields of the products.