An efficient one-pot four-component Gewald reaction: Synthesis of substituted 2-aminothiophenes with coumarin–thiazole scaffolds under environmentally benign conditions

An elegant and efficient method has been outlined for the synthesis of novel 5-amino-4-[4-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)thiazol-2-yl]-3-arylthiophene-2-carbonitriles employing a one-pot four-component reaction of various aldehydes, 2-[4-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)thiazol-2-yl]acetonitrile, malononitrile and molecular sulfur independently in the presence of L-proline as a catalyst, under green reaction conditions. In an alternative approach, initially, the Knoevenagel condensation of these various aldehydes has been carried out with active methylene compounds malononitrile or 2-[4-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)thiazol-2-yl]acetonitrile to obtain the corresponding condensed compounds. These compounds then further subjected to a one-pot three-component Gewald reaction with molecular sulfur using sodium bicarbonate as a simple and inexpensive catalyst to obtain the target compounds. The effect of solvent and catalyst on these reactions has been screened to obtain the optimal conditions. The advantages of this protocol are the use of mild reaction conditions at ambient temperature, environmental friendliness, good yields in faster reaction times, convenient operation procedures, and broad substrate scope.