Preparation of Poly(ionic liquid)s-Supported Recyclable Organocatalysts for the Asymmetric Nitroaldol (Henry) Reaction.

A novel strategy for the embedding of quinine-based organocatalysts in polymerized ionic liquids-based hydrogels is presented. With this technique, the encapsulated organocatalyst was successfully recovered and reused for four cycles without any loss of enantioselectivity (up to 91% ee) for the asymmetric nitroaldol (Henry) reaction. In this study, high catalyst leaching was significantly reduced (<0.01%) by controlling the water content. After catalyst removal, evaporation of the solvent affords the product in 98% purity without any further purification.