Brønsted Base-Catalyzed One-Pot Three-Component Biginelli-Type Reaction: An Efficient Synthesis of 4,5,6-Triaryl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one and Mechanistic Study

An efficient one-pot synthesis of 4,5,6-triaryl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones via a three-component Biginelli-type condensation of aldehyde, 2-phenylacetophenone, and urea/thiourea in the presence of a catalytic amount of t-BuOK (20 mol %) is described. The reactions proceeded efficiently at 70 degrees C to afford the desired products in moderate to good yields. Detailed mechanistic study shows that the Biginelli-type reaction using urea and thiourea proceeds through two totally different pathways. Enone 5 and bis-urea 8 were highly suggested as respective reaction intermediates for reactions involving thiourea and urea as substrates.