Direct Synthesis of Pyrroles via Heterogeneous Catalytic Condensation of Anilines with Bioderived Furans

Abstract

Given the wide applications of pyrroles in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and supramolecular and materials chemistry, a mild and eco-friendly route to produce functionalized pyrroles from bioderived feedstocks is highly desirable. Described herein is a mild and convenient synthesis of pyrroles via direct condensation of an equimolar amount of structurally diverse anilines with biobased furans catalyzed by a simple and efficient solid acid H form zeolite Y catalyst. The protocol tolerates a large variety of functional groups and offers a general and versatile method for scale-up synthesis of a variety of N-substituted pyrrole compounds. Most importantly, the bioactive pyrrole-derived drug pyrvinium, which has lately been confirmed as highly effective in curing colon cancer, can be obtained by this method.