title: Metal-free transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes in water with vasicine: revelation of organocatalytic facet of an abundant alkaloid.
abstract: Vasicine, an abundantly available quinazoline alkaloid from the leaves of Adhatoda vasica, has been successfully employed for metal- and base-free reduction of nitroarenes to the corresponding anilines in water. The method is chemoselective and tolerates a wide range of reducible functional groups, such as ketones, nitriles, esters, halogens, and heterocyclic rings. Dinitroarenes reduced selectively to the corresponding nitroanilines under the present reaction conditions.
authors.affiliation: Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology , Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India.
authors.forename: Sushila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Manoranjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Neeraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D006865:Hydrogenation; D027902:Justicia / Q000737:chemistry; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D009574:Nitro Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D008670:Metals; D009574:Nitro Compounds; D011799:Quinazolines; D014867:Water; C019592:vasicine; C023650:aniline