Effect of microwave method on jasminaldehyde synthesis using solvent-free over Mg–Al–NO3 hydrotalcite catalyst

Jasminaldehyde is a widely used starting material in the chemical industry. One method for synthesizing jasminaldehyde is through the aldol condensation of benzaldehyde with 1–heptanal, using a heterogeneous catalyst called hydrotalcite Mg–Al–NO3. The synthesized catalyst was characterized using various techniques, including XRD, FT–IR, TGA, DTA, SEM, EDX, and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm (BET) to determine its structure, morphology, thermal stability, and properties. This catalyst was tested in the studied reaction under solvent-free conditions, using both microwave and conventional heating methods (in an oil bath) to evaluate the efficiency of each method in producing jasminaldehyde. The results showed that the use of microwave heating in this reaction is particularly advantageous. It allowed for the highest conversion (>99%) of 1–heptanal, with a good selectivity (80%) towards jasminaldehyde, after only 50 minutes of reaction time. In contrast, conventional heating required a longer reaction time of about 8 hours to achieve similar conversion and selectivity values. Furthermore, Mg–Al–NO3 demonstrated nearly sustained activity in three consecutive reuse experiments, and the durability of this catalyst was characterized using several techniques.