Synthesis and structure of an air-stable hypervalent organobismuth (III) perfluorooctanesulfonate and its use as high-efficiency catalyst for Mannich-type reactions in water

An air-stable hypervalent organobismuth (III) perfluorooctanesulfonate was synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic techniques, and found to exhibit high catalytic efficiency towards one-pot Mannich-type reaction of ketones with aromatic aldehydes and aromatic amines in water. This catalyst also shows good recyclability and reusability. This catalytic system would provide a simple, efficient and 'green' avenue towards the synthesis of beta-amino ketones. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.