Synthesis of benzamides by microwave assisted ring opening of less reactive dimethylaminobenzylidene oxazolone

This paper presents the synthesis of some benzamide compounds (B1–B10) by microwave-assisted ring opening of 4-(4-dimethylaminobenzylidene)-2-phenyl-5-oxazolone (AZ4). By conventional synthesis involving heating, it was found difficult to obtain ring-opened products, probably due to poor tendency of the carbonyl carbon (C5) of AZ4 to undergo nucleophilic attack by mono/or disubstituted anilines. Microwave assisted reactions were easy to perform, have reduced the reaction time and produced good yields.