A one pot three-component reaction for the preparation of dihydroquinolines with two different ketones and aromatic aminesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c7ob02554h

A three component reaction with two different ketones and aromatic amines was firstly investigated. The difference in reactivity between ordinary ketones and ketone esters allowed for the production of 1,2-DHQs efficiently. The possible Skraup reaction with 2 equiv. of the same ketones was prohibited due to the fast formation of imines. A three component reaction with two different ketones and aromatic amines was firstly investigated.