A novel, piperidene-catalysed, one-pot synthesis of 3-(2′-benzothiazolyl)coumarins was undertaken, starting from salicylaldehydes, ethyl cyanoacetate and o-aminobenzenethiols in ethanol. Salicylaldehydes with electron-donating group gave optimum yields. The novel method is characterized by mild reaction conditions, simple procedure and low waste. All compounds were fluorescent in solution emitting