Recent Advances in Multicomponent Reactions Catalysed under Operationally Heterogeneous Conditions

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) have been gaining significance and attention over the past decade because of their ability to furnish complex products by using readily available and simple starting materials while simultaneously eliminating the need to separate and purify any intermediates. More so, most of these products have been found to exhibit diverse biological activities. Another paradigm shift which has occurred contemporarily is the switch to heterogeneous catalysis, which results in additional benefits such as the reduction of waste and an increase in the safety of the process. More importantly, it allows the user to recover and reuse the catalyst for multiple runs. In summary, both methodologies adhere to the principles of green chemistry, a philosophy which needs to become overarchingly enshrined. The plethora of reactions and catalysts which have been developed gives hope that chemists are slowly changing their ideology. As a result, this review attempts to discuss multicomponent reactions catalysed by operationally heterogeneous catalysts in the past 10 years. In this review, a further distinction is made between the MCRs which lead to the formation of heterocycles and those which do not.