Ultrasound-mediated synthesis of 4-substituted 1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylates catalyzed by 1-carboxymethy1-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate under solvent free condition

4-Substituted 1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylates (4) have been synthesized by the solvent-free reaction of aldehyde, methyl propiolate and ammonium carbonate catalyzed by ionic liquid 1-carboxymethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate under ultrasonic irradiation. The effects of changes in the ultrasonic power, temperature, catalysts and reactants on the synthesis of 4-substituted 1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylates (4) are discussed. With the optimized reaction conditions, various aldehydes were used to synthesize 1,4-dihydropyridines (4) under the influence of ultrasound irradiation. Compared with the conventional thermal methods, the remarkable advantages of this method are the simple experimental procedure, shorter reaction time (2-10 min) and high yield of product (76-95%). Furthermore, the green catalytic system can be recycled specific times without significantly decreasing the yields and reaction rates. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.