Recent Progresses in the Multicomponent Synthesis of Dihydropyridines by Applying Sustainable Catalysts Under Green Conditions

The synthesis of dihydropyridines, valuable molecules with diverse therapeutic properties, using eco-friendly heterogeneous catalysts as a green alternative received significant consideration. By selecting appropriate precursors, these compounds can be readily modified to induce the desired properties in the target product. This review focused on synthesising diverse dihydropyridine derivatives in single-pot reactions using magnetic, silica, and zirconium-based heterogeneous catalytic systems. The monograph describes preparation techniques for various catalyst materials in detail. It covers facile and benign magnetic, silica, zirconium-based, and ionic liquid catalysts, exhibiting significant efficacy and consistently facilitating excellent yields in short reaction times and in a cost-effective way. Most of the designated protocols employ Hantzsch reactions involving substituted aldehydes, active methylene compounds, and ammonium acetate. These reactions presumably follow Knoevenagel condensation followed by Michael addition and intra-molecular cyclisation. The multicomponent one-pot protocols using green catalysts and solvents have admirably increased the product selectivity and yields while minimising the reaction time. These sustainable catalyst materials retain their viability for several cycles reducing the expenditure are eco-friendly.

Reactions under increased pressure: The reactivity of functionally substituted 3-oxo-2-arylhydrazones toward active methylene reagents in Q-tube

A one-pot two-component reaction of 3-oxo-2-arylhydrazones with active methylene nitriles under high pressure in a Q-tube safe reactor was reported. Comparison between conventional and Q-tube safe reactor-assisted synthesis of organic compounds was done by comparing total reaction time and percentage yield. The results show that the compound 5-cyano-6-oxo-1,4-diphenyl-1,6-dihydro-pyridazine-3-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (3) was synthesized within 2 h in a yield of 97%. In addition, the pyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridines 5b and 5c were obtained in yields of 93 and 95% within 1 h reaction time, respectively. The obtained results suggest that Q-tube safe reactor-assisted syntheses were led to higher product yields within very short reaction times.

Novel Pyran-Linked Phthalazinone-Pyrazole Hybrids: Synthesis, Cytotoxicity Evaluation, Molecular Modeling, and Descriptor Studies

A series of novel pyran-linked phthalazinone-pyrazole hybrids were designed and synthesized by a facile one-pot three-component reaction employing substituted phthalazinone, 1H-pyrazole-5-carbaldehyde, and active methylene compounds. Optimization studies led to the identification of L-proline and ethanol as efficient catalyst and solvent, respectively. This was followed by evaluation of anticancer activity against solid tumor cell lines of lung and cervical carcinoma that displayed IC50 values in the range of 9.8–41.6 µM. Molecular modeling studies were performed, and crucial interactions with the target protein were identified. The drug likeliness nature of the compounds and molecular descriptors such as molecular flexibility, complexity, and shape index were also calculated to understand the potential of the synthesized molecules to act as lead-like molecule upon further detailed biological investigations as well as 3D-QSAR studies.