A grinding-induced catalyst- and solvent-free synthesis of highly functionalized 1,4-dihydropyridines via a domino multicomponent reaction

A grinding-induced catalyst- and solvent-free domino multicomponent reaction for the synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridines has been developed using aldehydes, amines, DEAD (diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate), and malononitrile/ethyl cyanoacetate. The synthesized 1,4-dihydropyridines were efficiently converted into novel tacrine analogs 7a-7e using micelle-promoted microwave irradiation.