An efficient one‐pot synthesis of 2‐benzylpyrroles and 3‐benzylindoles

One‐pot regioselective benzylation of pyrroles and indoles using zirconium tetrachloride is discussed. This has been achieved by in‐situ generation of di(1H‐pyrrol‐1‐yl)zirconium(IV) chloride and di(1H‐indol‐1‐yl)zirconium(IV) chloride. It was observed that benzylation reactions of these complexes using n‐BuLi occurred at C‐2 position for pyrrole and C‐3 for indole. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Amidation of Aldehydes and Alcohols through α‐Iminonitriles and a Sequential Oxidative Three‐Component Strecker Reaction/Thio‐Michael Addition/Alumina‐Promoted Hydrolysis Process to Access β‐Mercaptoamides from Aldehydes,Amines, and Thiols

Mild and general alumina‐promoted hydrolysis conditions for converting α‐iminonitriles into carboxamides have been developed. In combination with the oxidative three‐component Strecker reaction, the one‐pot direct amidation of aldehydes and alcohols is reported. Subsequently, an Yb(OTf)₃‐catalyzed Michael addition of thiols to α,β‐unsaturated α‐iminonitriles is reported for the synthesis of β‐mercapto‐α‐iminonitriles. The successful integration of an oxidative Strecker reaction, thio‐Michael addition, and neutral‐alumina‐promoted hydrolysis of β‐mercapto‐α‐iminonitriles into a three‐component one‐pot process allowed us to develop the direct conversion of amines, aldehydes, and thiols into β‐mercaptoamides. All of these procedures were applicable to aromatic and aliphatic amines and aldehydes.     

Mechanism of the Reaction of Amines with 5‐[(Aryl‐ or Alkylamino)hydroxymethylene]‐2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxane‐4,6‐diones in the Presence of Chlorotrimethylsilane (Me3SiCl)

Addition of chlorotrimethylsilane (Me₃SiCl) to the mixture of a carbamoyl‐substituted Meldrum's acid, i.e., a 5‐[(arylamino)hydroxymethylene]‐2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxane‐4,6‐dione of type 1 and a secondary amine as nucleophile strongly accelerated the rate of their reaction. The reason for this phenomenon observed, during our previous research, remained, however, unclear. To elucidate the mechanism of this reaction, we assumed and verified three possible pathways for the action of Me₃SiCl (cf. Scheme 2): The acceleration of the reaction is caused i) by formation of a O‐trimethylsilylated Meldrum's acid of type 2 , ii) by the silylated amine 3 , or iii) by the presence of HCl liberated from Me₃SiCl. The performed experiments revealed that the faster course of reaction is caused by the formation of N‐trimethylsilylated amines of type 3 .     

Microwave‐associate synthesis of Co3O4 nanoparticles as an effcient nanocatalyst for the synthesis of arylidene barbituric and Meldrum's acid derivatives in green media

In this study, Co₃O₄ nanocatalysts were constructed in environmentally appropriate conditions using controlled, effective, and facile microwave method. The final nanostructures were characterized by SEM, XRD, and TEM analyses. The products had a small size distribution, homogeneous morphology, and crystallographic structures associated with the formation of Co₃O₄ nanostructures. Moreover, EDS mapping analysis confirmed the existence of Co and O elements in the final structure, and the magnetic properties of the samples were investigated by VSM. The application of this nanostructure in a catalytic process was further examined, and the results suggested that it could be used as a novel candidate for the synthesis of arylidene barbituric and Meldrum^,s acid through Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes by barbituric and Meldrum^,s acid in aqueous media. The high yield of these nanocatalysts would be justified by the nature of the nanostructure as well as the experimental procedure developed in this study, which affected the physicochemical features of the products.     

Dicationic ionic liquids as recyclable catalysts for one‐pot solvent‐free synthesis of α‐aminophosphonates

Some task‐specific ionic liquids N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethyl‐N,N′‐dipropanesulfonic acid ethylene‐diammonium hydrogen sulfate, N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethyl‐N,N′‐dipropanesulfonic acid‐1,3‐propanediammonium hydrogen sulfate, N,N,N′,N′‐ tetramethyl‐N,N′‐ dipropanesulfonic acid‐1,6‐hexanediammonium hydrogen sulfate were prepared. These ionic liquids could be used as efficient and recyclable catalysts for the synthesis of α‐aminophosphonates at room temperature via an one‐pot three‐component reaction under organic solvent‐free conditions with good yields of 83–96%. The postprocessing was simple, and the catalysts could be reused at least six times without noticeably decreasing the catalytic activity. The novel clean procedure offers the advantages including short reaction time, good yields, operational simplicity, and environmentally benign. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 22:1–5, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.20647     

Phthalhydrazide immobilized on MCM‐41 as a potent and recoverable catalyst for the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1‐a]isoquinolines

We present a study on the synthesis, characterization, and application of phthalhydrazide‐functionalized MCM‐41 (P‐MCM‐41) as a novel and efficient heterogeneous basic catalyst. The described catalyst was fully characterized via various techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR). P‐MCM‐41 efficiently catalyzed the four‐component reaction of arylaldehydes, Meldrum's acid, alkyl isocyanides, and isoquinoline in CHCl₃ to prepare pyrrolo[2,1‐a]isoquinolines in good yields.     

Sucrose chelated auto combustion synthesis of BiFeO3 nanoparticles: Magnetically recoverable catalyst for the one‐pot synthesis of polyhydroquinoline

Sucrose chelated Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) nanoparticles as a novel heterogeneous catalyst was synthesized by an auto combustion route. Different calcination temperatures (150 °C, 450 °C, 550 °C, 650 °C, 750 °C and 850 °C) have been employed to obtain single phased BiFeO₃ nanoparticles. The perovskite structure formation and disappearance of organic phase (sucrose) was obtained by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR). Phase determination and structural characterization was carried out by powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The magnetic properties were analyzed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) whereas surface area/pore volume was obtained by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyzed the particles size and morphology. Thermal stability was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and determination of constituent elements was carried out by X‐ray Photo‐Electron Spectroscopy (XPS). Raman spectroscopy confirmed the perovskite structure of the synthesized materials. The BiFeO₃ nanoparticles so obtained were employed as heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives. All the polyhydroquinoline derivatives were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR). For the very first time ever we have used BiFeO₃ as a recyclable magnetic nanocatalyst in the one‐pot four component cyclization reaction of benzaldehyde, ethylacetoacetate/methylacetoacetate, dimedone/cyclohexane‐1,3‐dione, and ammonium acetate for the synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives without solvent under refluxing conditions to provide excellent yields of products. BiFeO₃ nanocatalyst (without any functionalization/surface coatings) shows easy magnetic separation, recyclability, reusability along with excellent yield of polyhydroquinoline derivatives in an economic and benign way.     

Phosphotungstic acid grafted zeolite imidazolate framework as an effective heterogeneous nanocatalyst for the one‐pot solvent‐free synthesis of 3,4‐dihydropyrimidinones

Phosphotungstic acid (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀, PTA) supported on ZIF‐9(NH₂) was synthesized for the first time and performed as an effective and environmental friendly catalyst in the one‐pot three component Biginelli condensation of different substituted benzaldehydes with ethyl acetoacetate and urea to afford the corresponding 3,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐2‐(1H)‐ones under solvent‐free conditions. ZIF‐9(NH₂) and the prepared nanocatalyst PTA@ZIF‐9(NH₂) were characterized by XRD, FESEM, TEM, EDX, BET, AAS, TGA, UV–Vis, and FT‐IR. After reaction, the nanocatalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture by centrifuge and the recovered catalyst can be reused for at least five times with a 14% reduction in yield after the fifth run. This study showed that ZIF‐9(NH₂) can be utilized as a promising support for PTA and developed a highly active, stable and reusable heterogeneous catalyst under easy reaction condition in the multi‐component organic synthesis.     

An Imidazoline–Aminophenol (IAP) Nickel Catalyst: Structure and Catalytic Activity in the Enantioselective 1,4‐Addition of 3′‐Indolyl‐3‐Oxindoles to Nitroethylene

The structure of a nickel complex of imidazoline–aminophenol (IAP) prepared from IAP with Ni(OAc)₂ was elucidated as cis‐bis(imidazolineaminophenoxide) [Ni(IAP)₂]. The [Ni(IAP)₂] complex smoothly promoted catalytic asymmetric 1,4‐addition of 3′‐indolyl‐3‐oxindole to nitroethylene to provide chiral mixed 3,3′‐bisindoles with high enantioselectivities. Mechanistic studies using ESI‐MS analyses suggest that one IAP ligand dissociated from [Ni(IAP)₂] to generate the Ni–enolate of 3′‐indolyl‐3‐oxindole. From the optically active 3,3′‐mixed indole adduct, biologically important 3′‐indolyl‐3‐pyrrolidinoindoline was successfully synthesized in a three‐step reaction sequence.     

A transition metal free expedient approach for the CC bond cleavage of arylidene Meldrum's acid and malononitrile derivatives

A transition metal free expedient approach for the CC bond cleavage of electron deficient alkenes such as arylidene Meldrum's acid and malononitrile derivatives are discussed. The CC bond of these compound were cleaved to benzoic acid in good yield at high temperature. Most importantly, with oxone in CH₃CN/H₂O at 45 °C or m-CPBA in DCM or NaClO₂ in THF/H₂O or PIDA in THF at room temperature furnished benzaldehyde derivatives selectively in excellent yields.     

CuBr‐catalysed one‐pot multicomponent synthesis of 3‐substituted 2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one derivatives

A novel methodology is presented for the synthesis of 3‐substituted 2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one derivatives based on an efficient tandem multicomponent reaction using copper bromide as catalyst. This methodology is based on the multicomponent one‐pot reaction of methyl 2‐bromobenzoate, phenylisothiocyanate derivatives and sodium azide in the presence of copper bromide and l ‐proline under basic conditions. To show the generality of the method, various phenylisothiocyanates bearing electron‐donating or electron‐withdrawing functionalities were used and the desired products were obtained in high isolated yields.     

Design,synthesis, characterization and catalytic performance of a new cellulose‐based magnetic nanocomposite in the one‐pot three‐component synthesis of α‐aminonitriles

A sulfonated magnetic cellulose‐based nanocomposite was prepared and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then, it was used as a green nanocatalyst for the synthesis of α‐aminonitriles by a one‐pot three‐component condensation reaction of aldehydes or ketones, amines and trimethylsilylcyanide in ethanol at room temperature. The reaction procedure is simple, yields are very high, reaction time is very short and the catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture and reused in subsequent reactions without significant loss of catalytic activity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

NbCl5: an efficient catalyst for one‐pot synthesis of α‐aminophosphonates under solvent‐free conditions

NbCl₅ has been found to be a very effective catalyst for the synthesis of a variety of α‐aminophosphonates through the Kabachnik–Fields reaction of carbonyl compound, amine and diethyl phosphite under solvent‐free conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MCM‐41‐SO3H as a nanoreactor for the one‐pot,solvent‐free synthesis of 1,8‐dioxo‐9‐aryl decahydroacridines

One‐pot four‐component synthesis of 1,8‐dioxo‐9‐aryl decahydroacridines in solvent‐free condition was efficiently performed in the presence of MCM‐41‐SO₃H as a nanocatalyst and nanoreactor in good yields. The method provides several advantages such as low cost, operational and experimental simplicity, high yields, and short reaction times. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2012).     

Rapid Synthesis of Novel and Known Coumarin‐3‐carboxylic Acids Using Stannous Chloride Dihydrate under Solvent‐Free Conditions

Various coumarin‐3‐carboxylic acid (=2‐oxo‐2H‐1‐benzopyran‐3‐carboxylic acid; CcaH) derivatives have been synthesized in good yields using catalytic amounts of SnCl₂?2 H₂O under solvent‐free conditions. This inexpensive, nontoxic, and readily available catalytic system (10 mol‐%) efficiently catalyzes the Knoevenagel condensation and intramolecular cyclization of various 2‐hydroxybenzaldehydes or acetophenones with Meldrum's acid. High product yields, use of inexpensive and safe catalyst, and solvent‐free conditions display both economic and environmental advantages.     

α,β‐Double Electrophilic Addition of Allene‐1,3‐Dicarboxylic Esters for the Construction of Polysubstituted Furans by KI/tert‐Butyl Hydroperoxide (TBHP)‐Promoted Oxidative Annulation

An unprecedented KI/tert‐butyl hydroperoxide promoted tandem Michael addition/oxidative annulation of allene‐1,3‐dicarboxylic esters and 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds has been developed. This procedure provides a new, facile, and transition‐metal‐free synthetic approach to afford polysubstituted furans in moderate to excellent yields (up to 93 %). This method first establishes a α,β‐double electrophilic reaction mode of allene‐1,3‐dicarboxylic esters to form 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds.     

New Route for the Synthesis of Four‐Membered Cyclic Ketene Dithioacetals

Novel ketene dithioacetals have been synthesized by a one‐pot condensation reaction of active methylene compounds with CS₂ in the presence of alkyl acetylenecarboxylates. This reaction proceeds in a regioselective manner and provides products in good yields. The structures of the ketene dithioacetals were characterized by IR, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, and MS data, and elemental analyses.     

Aminopropylated PEG as a novel,eco‐friendly and biodegradable basic catalyst for bis‐Michael addition to α,β‐unsaturated ketones under solvent‐free conditions

A solvent‐free and highly efficient protocol has been developed for the synthesis of novel bis‐Michael addition products ( 3a , 3b , 3c , 3d , 3e , 3f , 3g , 3h , 3i , 3j , 3k , 3l , 3m , 3n , 3o ) using aminopropylated PEG‐6000 (NH₂‐PEG) as a biodegradable and recyclable catalyst in excellent yields under solvent‐free conditions. Other remarkable features of this environmentally benign protocol are shorter reaction time, tolerance of a wide range of C―H‐activated acids, high yield of products, and simple experimental and work‐up procedure as compared to conventional methods. The NH₂‐PEG catalyst is characterized by using FT‐IR, powder XRD and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersion X‐ray spectrometric analyses. The catalyst can be recycled several times without significant loss of its catalytic activity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.