Zahra Nasresfahani - Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, PO Box ۱۴۱۵۵‐۱۷۵, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Zaman Kassaee - Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, PO Box ۱۴۱۵۵‐۱۷۵, Tehran, Iran
Esmaiel Eidi - Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, PO Box ۱۴۱۵۵‐۱۷۵, Tehran, Iran

We report the synthesis of ionic liquid‐functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles ([pmim]FeCl4/MSNs) via a method of post‐grafting on parent MSNs. This hybridmaterial was characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopies, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction and thermal analyses. The material was utilized as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of N,N′‐diaryl‐substituted formamidines through the reaction of triethyl orthoformate with arylamines under solvent‐free conditions. The catalyst was recovered easily and reused several times without significant loss of its catalytic activity [1-3].