Cerium ammonium nitrate-catalyzed multicomponent reaction for efficient synthesis of functionalized tetrahydropyridines.

A highly atom-economic one-pot synthesis of functionalized tetrahydropyridines by a multicomponent condensation reaction of ß-keto ester, two equivalents of aromatic aldehyde, and two equivalents of amine in the presence of a catalytic amount of cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) is reported. In this way, a series of pharmacologically interesting substituted piperidine derivatives were obtained in moderate to good yields at room temperature.