Base-Promoted Synthesis of 2-Aryl Quinazolines from 2-Aminobenzylamines in Water.

A transition-metal-free procedure for the synthesis of a highly valuable class of heteroaromatics, quinazolines, was developed by using easily available 2-aminobenzylamines and alpha,alpha,alpha-trihalotoluenes. The transformation proceeded smoothly in the presence of only sodium hydroxide and molecular oxygen in water at 100 degrees C, furnishing a variety of 2-aryl quinazolines. The crystallization process of the crude reaction mixture for the purification of the solid products circumvents huge solvent consuming workup and column chromatographic techniques, which make the overall process more sustainable and economical.