Uncatalyzed synthesis of 3-amino-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-ones

Uncatalyzed one-pot pseudo-four-component reaction of ethyl pyruvate, anilines, and aldehydes in n-hexane as solvent, under reflux, affords a variety of 3-amino-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-ones in high yield. n-Hexane is an excellent driving force in preparation of the desired products. These compounds have biological and pharmacological properties and are also used in medicinal chemistry. Use of a non-toxic and inexpensive solvent, simple and efficient synthesis, clean work-up, and high yields of the products are the advantages of this method. We report the first catalyst-free method for synthesis this class of compounds.