A Greener and Economical Synthesis of Hexahydroacridine-1,8(2H,5H)-diones Using 2-Aminopyrazine Catalyst Through Mortar-Pestle Grinding Approach with Their Computational Study

Abstract

A green, simple, and economical protocol was used to synthesize hexahydroacridine-1,8(2H,5H)-dione derivatives. This tandem synthesis uses substituted arylaldehydes, dimedone/cyclohexane-1,3-dione, and NH₄Cl, and is catalyzed by 2-aminopyrazine (10 mol %) in a three-component, one-pot, and mortar-pestle grinding process. The 2-aminopyrazine acts as an eco-friendly and low-cost organic compound. This unique technique offers additional benefits such as affordability, ease of management of the synthetic procedures, an ambient temperature of the reaction, a reduced reaction time, and a short/easy filtration procedure to achieve an outstanding output percentage. The elimination of hazardous solvents, column-based chromatography, and metal catalysts make the synthesis process more ecologically benign. A computational study of the synthesized compounds was conducted to assess their drug-like characteristics.