Glycerol as a promoting medium for electrophilic activation of aldehydes: catalyst-free synthesis of di(indolyl)methanes, xanthene-1,8(2H)-diones and 1-oxo-hexahydroxanthenes

Glycerol was used, for the first time, as a green and effective promoting medium for electrophilic activation of aldehydes, and with which, a catalyst-free system for some reactions that conventionally carried out using acid catalysts, such as synthesis of di(indolyl)methanes, 3,4,5,6,7,9-hexahydro-9-aryl-1H-xanthene-1,8(2H)-dione and 1-oxo-hexahydroxanthenes, was developed.