Covalently anchored sulfonic acid on silica gel (SiO2-R-SO3H) as an efficient and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 1,8-dioxooctahydroxanthenes under solvent-free conditions

A highly efficient one-pot synthesis of 1,8-dioxooctahydroxanthenes under solvent-free conditions catalyzed by sulfonic acid covalently anchored onto the surface of silica gel is reported. All types of aldehydes, including aromatic, unsaturated, and heterocyclic, are used. The silica gel/sulfonic acid catalyst (SiO2-R-SO3H) is completely heterogeneous and can be recycled. (C) 2008 Mohammad A. Bigdeli. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.