Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of a Natural Insecticide on Basic Montmorillonite K10 Clay. Green Chemistry in the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory

A microwave-assisted, one-pot synthesis of a naturally occurring insecticide on basic Montmorillonite K10 is described. The reaction is suitable for incorporation into the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course and represents a practical example of green chemistry. The described synthesis employs naturally benign, base-washed Montmorillonite K10 clay as a heterogeneous catalyst, is carried out under solvent-free conditions in a commercial-grade microwave oven, and features several interesting mechanistic considerations, including an electrophilic aromatic addition, dehydration, and intramolecular hetero-Diels–Alder cyclization.