Abstract
An efficient one-pot synthesis of hexahydroquinoline derivatives by the condensation of aromatic aldehydes, 5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione, ethyl (or methyl) acetoacetate, and ammonium acetate in the presence of zirconium(IV) oxychloride octahydrate (ZrOCl2 center dot 8H(2)O) as catalyst has been developed. The reaction was performed under conventional heating, as well as under microwave irradiation. The developed methodology (microwave-assisted method) offers several advantages, including shorter reaction time, milder conditions, easy work-up, inexpensive catalyst, and excellent yields. The structure of the synthesized compounds has been established on the basis of their spectral and analytical data.