Acetic Acid-Mediated Synthesis of Kojic Acid Derivatives

A green acetic acid-mediated synthesis of kojic acid derivatives through a multicomponent reaction (MCR) has been developed. This new protocol is simple and efficient; it involves a one-pot reaction of equimolar amounts of kojic acid, aromatic aldehydes, and several active methylene compounds at 90°C in 3 h and results in the formation of a wide range of kojic acid derivatives with high yields. Furthermore, the formation of acyclic product when only kojic acid reacted with benzaldehyde under similar reaction conditions has been explored.