A three component one-pot synthesis of N-amino-2-pyridone derivatives catalyzed by KF-Al2O3

Synthesis of 1,6-diamino-4-phenyl-3,5-dicyano-2-pyridone derivatives via a one-pot, three-component reaction of aryl aldehydes, malononitrile, and cyanoacetic hydrazide at room temperature using KF-Al₂O₃ as a recyclable catalyst have been developed. The reaction proceeds through the initial Knoevenagel condensation between aldehyde and malononitrile in the presence of KF-Al₂O₃ to form the benzylidene derivative which then undergoes Michael addition with cyanoacetic hydrazide followed by intramolecular cyclization of the resulting intermediate to produce the N-amino-2-pyridones in good to excellent yields. The structure of the synthesized compounds were characterized and established on the basis of their spectral data analysis and single-crystal XRD analysis.