A general scheme for the oxidation of benzyl alcohols catalyzed by silica functionalized copper (II) has been designed. TEMPO, a free radical, assists this oxidation that was initiated by molecular oxygen which converts it to a primary oxidant. This catalytic combination i.e. SiO₂ -Cu(II) in presence of TEMPO and oxygen provides excellent results in terms of yields and reaction time. SiO₂ -Cu(II) was very well characterized by different spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, XRD, TGA, XPS, EDAX, SEM, TEM and AAS and is recyclable upto five times which makes it economically beneficial.

A new approach for the synthesis of benzimidazoles using ionogel under solvent-free conditions is reported. Catalytic activity of ionogel was compared with silica coated with ionic liquid (silica-IL) and it was found that ionogel is highly active compared to silica-IL for the synthesis of benzimidazoles. Moreover, ionogel was recyclable for the synthesis of benzimidazoles.