Environmentally benign synthesis of 14-Phenyl-8H-Dibenzo[a,i]xanthene-8,13(14H)-Diones using CuI nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst

In this study, CuI nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst was used for the synthesis of 14-phenyl-8H-dibenzo[a,i]xanthene-8,13(14H)-diones using aldehydes, 2-naphthol and 2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione in aqueous media. In this study, it was found that water was the most effective solvent compared to others. Among several catalysts that were tested for this multi-component synthesis, CuI nanoparticles were the best catalyst with 4 mol% loading. The reusability of CuI nanoparticles was experienced for 6 times with a slightly decreased activity. The use of no hazardous organic solvent, atom economy, short reaction times, little catalyst loading, reusability of the catalyst and high yields of products are some of the important features of this protocol.