Cellulose sulfuric acid: an efficient biopolymer-based catalyst for the synthesis of 5H-dibenzo[b,i]xanthene-tetraones and spiro[dibenzo[b,i]xanthene-13,3'-indoline]-pentaones under solvent free conditions

A practical and green method for the synthesis of 5H-dibenzo[b,i]xanthene-tetraones and spiro[dibenzo[b,i]xanthene-13,3'-indoline]-pentaones by the condensation of 2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione with aldehydes or isatins, respectively, in the presence of a catalytic amount of cellulose sulfuric acid (CSA) under solvent-free conditions at 100 °C is described. The significant features of this procedure are high yields of the products, simple work-up, solvent-free conditions, operational simplicity and non-toxicity of the catalyst. Moreover, cellulose sulfuric acid is successfully reused for four cycles without significant loss of activity.