A Multicomponent Synthesis of 2-Amino-3-cyanopyridine Derivatives Catalyzed by Heterogeneous and Recyclable Copper Nanoparticles on Charcoal

An efficient and convenient method was developed for synthesis of 2-amino-3-cyanopyridine derivatives via the four-component coupling reaction between ketone, aldehyde, malononitrile, and ammonium acetate in the presence of 2 mol% copper nanoparticles on charcoal (Cu/C) catalyst. A variety of ketones and aldehydes was used to afford the corresponding products in good to excellent yields. The method is applicable to large-scale operation without any problem. The catalyst could be quantitatively recovered from the reaction mixture by simple filtration and reused at least eight times with almost consistent activity.