A one-pot three-component route for the synthesis of rhodanine derivatives by the reaction of primary amines, carbon disulfide, and maleic anhydride in water is described. The reactions proceed via a sequential Michael addition-intramolecular amide bond formation. Bis(rhodanine) derivatives were also synthesized by using a diamine in this protocol.

A divergent procedure was developed for multicomponent reaction of ferrocenecarboxaldehyde with malononitrile and various cyclic ketones. Ultrasonic irradiation of 1.0:1.0:2.0 ethanolic mixtures of the reactants produced dicyanoanilines 4 chemoselectively in high yields, while equimolar mixtures of the same reactants in refluxing EtOH solely resulted in four-component formation of cyanopyridines 5. Both series of products are obtained directly by spontaneous precipitation in the reaction mixtures avoiding cumbersome and expensive chromatographic separations.

One-Pot Three-Component Route for the Synthesis of Rhodanine Derivatives in Water. -Various rhodanine derivatives are efficiently and environmentally friendly synthesized from primary amines, carbon disulfide, and maleic anhydride by a sequential Michael addition-intramolecular amide bond formation. -(ZIYAEI HALIMEHJANI*, A.; HOSSEINKHANY, S.; Synthesis 47 (2015) 20, 3147-3152, http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1380454 ; Fac. Chem., Kharazmi Univ., Tehran 15719-14911, Iran; Eng.) -Toeppel 07-154