Solvent-controlled tunable Knoevenagel-epoxidation reaction: Synthesis of diverse epoxide derivatives by aldehydes and nitrile methylenes

Here, we report a solvent-controlled tandem Knoevenagel-epoxidation reaction capable of efficiently and selectively synthesizing α-formamidoepoxide and epoxidized benzylidene derivatives of malononitrile dimers. By carefully selecting the solvent system, we demonstrate the tunability of this reaction towards different product outcomes, thereby providing a switchable synthetic platform for various epoxy derivatives. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions with short reaction times, high efficiency, and good tolerance towards diverse functional groups. Furthermore, this method is scalable to gram-scale production.