Sulfur-Mediated Decarboxylative Coupling of 2-Nitrobenzyl Alcohols and Arylacetic Acids

Abstract

We report a new method for the synthesis of substituted quinazolines by the condensation of 2-nitrobenzyl alcohols with arylacetic acids. The transformation requires the use of urea as a nitrogen source, elemental sulfur as a promoter, DABCO as a base, and DMSO as a solvent. Functionalities such as chloro, fluoro, trifluoromethyl, thienyl, and indolyl groups were all compatible with the reaction conditions. Because our method uses stable simple substrates to obtain the N,N-heterocycles in the absence of transition metals, it offers a potential pathway for preparing complex structures under mild conditions.