A new three-component domino synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridines

Cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) catalyzed the three-component domino reaction between aromatic amines, α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, and ethyl acetoacetate, providing an efficient new entry into 1,4-dihydropyridines. This new reaction requires very mild reaction conditions, has water as the only side product and is complementary to the classical Hantzsch synthesis in that it is well suited to the preparation of N-aryl-5,6-unsubstituted dihydropyridines. Experiments in the presence of a radical trap suggest that a one-electron oxidative mechanism can be excluded and that CAN acts as a Lewis acid.