Facile synthesis of substituted quinolines by iron(III)-catalyzed cascade reaction between anilines, aldehydes and nitroalkanes

A library of substituted quinolines has been synthesized by the reaction of aldehydes, anilines and nitroalkanes using a catalytic amount of Fe(III) chloride. The reaction is a simple, efficient, one-pot, three-component domino strategy in ambient air which afforded the products in high yields. A probable pathway of the reaction is a sequential aza-Henry reaction/cyclization/denitration. The use of commercially available chemicals as starting materials, an inexpensive metal catalyst, aerobic reaction conditions, tolerance of a wide range of functional groups, and operational simplicity are the notable advantages of this present protocol.