On-water organic synthesis: l-proline catalyzed synthesis of pyrimidine 2,4 dione, benzo and dihydropyranochromene derivatives in aqueous media

In this work, functionalized pyrimidine-2,4-dione-, benzo[g]-, and dihydropyrano[2,3-g]chromene derivatives have been synthesized via a Michael addition of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone or 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone to the Knoevenagel condensation product of an aldehyde with Meldrum's acid, dimedone or barbituric acid in the presence of a catalytic amount of l-proline under refluxing conditions in water in good to excellent yields.