An Atom Economic Acid Catalyzed Synthetic Method for Aromatic Imines

A new one-pot acid catalyzed synthetic methodology has been described for synthesis of aromatic imines. The reaction is carried out under microwave irradiation using minimum amount of methanol as solvent. Aqueous solution of the acid catalyst act as solvent for amine dissolution. The reaction yields substantial yield of product imine. The simplicity and environmentally benign nature of the process are the most notable features. The process can also be extended to include wide number of substrates. Product of the reaction can be isolated by simple procedure. The reaction can be carried out under mild conditions without heating to a higher temperature which eventually prevents the formation of nitrile byproducts in the reaction. Byproduct formation was significantly less during the reaction.