Bi(NO3)3·5H2O a highly efficient environmentally benign catalyst, is used for the nucleophilic ring opening of epoxides with aromatic, aliphatic and heteroaromatic amines under solvent free microwave conditions to afford the corresponding β-amino alcohols in good to excellent yields with high regioselectivity.

Calcium ferrite NPs catalyst have been used as a cheaper and highly efficient catalyst for Knoevenagel condensation of active methylene substrate with various carbonyl compounds affording condensed products in excellent yields in shorter reaction time. The developed greener protocol is very simple, involving cleaner work up and the synthesized products do not require further purification. The catalyst can easily be removed and reused at least for four times without any appreciable change in reactivity.