A comparative study of the catalytic activity of nanosized oxides in the one-pot synthesis of highly substituted dihydropyridines

Abstract

A four-component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, ethyl cyanoacetate, arylamines, and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate has been achieved in the presence of nanosized oxides (ZnO NPs, CuO NPs, CeO₂ NPs, SnO NPs, MgO NPs and CaO NPs) as highly effective heterogeneous catalysts to produce polysubstituted dihydropyridines. Extraordinarily, the best results were obtained using CeO₂ nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst. This method provides several advantages, including mild reaction conditions, applicability to a wide range of substrates, reusability of the catalyst and minimal catalyst loading.