A Convenient Base-Mediated Diastereoselective Synthesis of 2-Oxo-N,4,6-triarylcyclohex-3-enecarboxamides via Claisen-Schmidt Condensation

Sodium acetate catalyzed the multi-component reaction of acetophenone, aromatic aldehydes, and acetoacetanilide in the water-ethanol mixture (1:1) at ambient temperature via Claisen-Schmidt condensation results in the formation of highly substituted cyclohexenones in 89–98% yields. The developed efficient catalytic approach to the substituted cyclohexenones – the promising compounds for inflammation and autoimmune diseases therapy and different biomedical applications – is beneficial from the viewpoint of diversity-oriented large-scale processes and represents facile, efficient and environmentally benign synthetic concept for multicomponent reactions strategy. This protocol offers several advantages including high yields, operational simplicity, clean reaction conditions, the minimum pollution of the environment, no need to column chromatography and simple work-up procedure.