ZnO nanoparticle-catalyzed efficient one-pot three-component synthesis of 3,4,5-trisubstituted furan-2(5H)-ones

Abstract

An efficient and high-yielding protocol using nano-ZnO (50–100 nm) as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for one-pot three-component synthesis of pharmacologically significant furanone derivatives by the condensation of aromatic aldehyde, amine and dimethylacetylenedicarboxylate has been developed. Since the catalyst is heterogeneous, it can be easily separated and recycled several times without much loss of its catalytic activity. Use of aqueous medium, recyclable nanocatalyst, operational simplicity, non-chromatographic purification technique, excellent yield and short reaction time makes this approach an attractive protocol for the synthesis of 3,4,5-trisubstituted furan-2(5H)-ones.