Natural phosphate was applied as an efficient and ecofriendly catalyst for the synthesis of tetraketones (2-2.5 h, 90-100 %) and xanthenes (6.5-8.5 h, 84-95 %) via Knoevenagel-Michael cascade reaction of aromatic aldehydes with 1,3-cyclic diketones in water and ethanol, respectively. This protocol provides several advantages over the traditional chemical synthesis, such as simple work-up, easy handling procedure, nontoxicity and stability of catalyst, low cost and environmental friendliness.
Graphical Abstract& Mahmood Tajbakhsh