CuO nanoparticles catalyzed simple and efficient synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones and quinazolin-4(3H)-ones under ultrasound irradiation in aqueous ethanol under ultrasound irradiation in aqueous ethanol

A CuO nanoparticle-catalyzed one-pot process has engineered for the preparation of diverse quinazolinones from the readily available isatoic anhydride, aldehydes and amine or ammonium. For amine substrates the reactions afford 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones in aqueous ethanol promoted by ultrasound irradiation. However, the ammonium substrates undergo intramolecular electron transfer and rearrangement yielding quinazolin-4(3H)-ones. The catalyst is recyclable four times without loss of substantial activity. Other remarkable features include the wide range of functional group tolerance (46 quinazolinones are synthesized and 9 of them are reported firstly), and providing moderate to excellent yield of the products under mild conditions.