A highly stable and environmentally benign phosphate anchored MnO2 (P-MnO2) catalyst has been prepared. The catalyst has been characterized by using TGA, FTIR, Raman, XRD, UV-DRS, XPS, FESEM, and EDAX techniques. The catalytic behavior of P-MnO2 has been demonstrated for the synthesis of 1,8-dioxooctahydroxanthene and 14-aryl (alkyl)-14H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthene laser dye derivatives under solvent free conditions. Recyclability, high yield, short reaction time, relative non-toxicity and easy workup are the advantages of the presented catalyst. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.