carbon–carbon double bond has been developed from aromatic aldehydes and compounds with active methylene moieties in the presence of catalytic amount of solid sodiumethoxide via mechanochemical approach. This capable process provides a diverse range of homoaryl/heteroaryl/aliphatic acrylates and nitriles in good to excellent yields at short reaction period.Graphical Abstract
A green and efficient methodology has been developed for the construction of 2-[(1,3-diaryl-4-pyrazolyl)methylene]malononitriles, potent antioxidant molecules, in good to excellent yields in five minutes from 1,3-diarylpyrazole-4-carbaldehydes and malononitrile using PEG-400 and water at ambient temperature under catalyst-free conditions. The PEG-400 could be reused without appreciable loss in the yield. The methodology has been extended to the synthesis of a diverse range of homo/heteroaryl-based nitriles and acrylates, reflecting its versatility.