Article synthesis of 2-methylquinoxaline derivatives from glycerol and diamines catalyzed by iridium complexes bearing an n-heterocyclic carbene ligand

Abstract

2-Methylquinoxaline derivatives are widely used as intermediates in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, natural products, and dyes; however, their syntheses usually require excess rea-gents, making them environmentally burdensome. Meanwhile, glycerol can be sustainably obtained in large quantities as a by-product in the production of biodiesel fuel using waste oil as a raw ma-terial. Thus, it is worthwhile to develop a new catalytic system that utilizes glycerol as a C3 source. In this study, an efficient catalytic system was developed to obtain 2-methylquinoxaline derivatives from glycerol and 1,2-phenylenediamines. This system is beneficial because it is environmentally friendly and has excellent atom efficiency.