Synthesis of imidazo[1, 2-a]pyridines via the silver acetate-catalyzed Groebke-Blackburn-Bienayme reaction with ethylene glycol as a biodegradable and sustainable solvent

An efficient, silver-based catalytic system has been designed for the synthesis of biologically important 3-aminoimidazo-fused heterocycles via the Groebke-Blackburn-Bienayme reaction, in which AgOAc was used as a catalyst and ethylene glycol as a solvent from isocyanides, various aryl aldehydes and an 2-amino heterocycle were also used. Good to excellent yields, high atomic economy and environmentally friendly conditions are the potential features of this one-pot process.