Direct Alkenylation of 2‐Methylquinolines with Aldehydes through Synergistic Catalysis of 1,3‐Dimethylbarbituric Acid and HOAc

Abstract An efficient and practical direct alkenylation of 2‐methylquinolines with aldehydes has been achieved through a novel synergistic organocatalysis. The HOAc‐ activated 2‐methylquiolines undergo a Michael addition to 1,3‐dimethylbarbituric acid‐activated aldehydes, followed by a retro‐Michael addition to release 1,3‐dimethylbarbituric acid and the target products. The transformation produced various 2‐alkenylquinolines with good to excellent yields and featured mild reaction conditions, atom‐ and step‐economy, good functional group tolerance, and operational simplicity. magnified image