Nanocrystalline and Reusable ZnO Catalyst for the Assembly of Densely Functionalized 4H‑Chromenes in Aqueous Medium via One-Pot Three Component Reactions: A Greener “NOSE” Approach

An ecofriendly, one-pot, three component ZnO nanoparticles-mediated synthesis of 4H-chromene in water under thermal condition has been described. The highly product-selective three component electrophilic reaction of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde with an active methylene compound and another carbon-based varied nature of nucleophile has been developed by a reversible alkylation procedure using greener “NOSE” approach. Greenness of the process was well instituted, as water was used both as reaction media as well as medium for the synthesis of catalyst. In these reactions, the use of nano-ZnO as a catalyst was documented to be crucial for rendering the reactions possible in water media, while replacing nano-ZnO with other acids or bases resulted in the generation of too many side products. The catalyst can be efficiently recycled up to the sixth run, an essential point in the area of green chemistry. The methodology provides cleaner conversion, shorter reaction times, and high selectivity, which make the protocol globally putative. The crystal structures of 4H-chromene, easily produced by a chromatography-free highly product-selective reaction, were explored by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and H-bonding arrangements of one signified compound prepared is presented. In optimized mild conditions, the isolated yields are 86–93%.