One-pot synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine analogs using pyrrole via GBB reaction

Nitrogen heterocycles are found in natural products and synthetic drugs, making them some of the most important synthetic targets because of their wide-ranging and valuable applications across multiple fields, in particular the imidazo[1,2-a] pyridine (IMPs) scaffold has garnered significant interest because of its diverse photophysical and biological properties, making it valuable across various fields like medicinal chemistry and materials science. The Groebke-Blackburn-Bienaymé reaction (GBBR) represents one of the most important isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions (I-MCR). Nowadays, it is considered the best synthetic one-pot process for IMP synthesis. It's characterized by its high atom economy, operational simplicity, high overall yields, broad functional group tolerance, ability to generate fluorophores with important optical properties, and the minimization of the use of toxic solvents or catalysts. In this context, green synthesis using IMCR strategies has become a rapidly growing and efficient approach to promote more sustainable and eco-friendly one-pot processes. This work presents a novel one-pot green synthesis of IMPs via GBBR, utilizing ethanol as the solvent to efficiently produce highly fluorescent molecules with adjustable photophysical properties. These compounds hold significant promise for use in chemical sensing, optoelectronic devices, and biological imaging. Furthermore, the methodology reduces waste generation, minimizes the use of hazardous reagent use.