Efficient synthesis of novel arylidene cyanoacetamide derivatives via Knoevenagel condensation
Naowara Alarafi, Abdullah Gheath, Yasmeenah El-Obaidi, Najwa Elfarsi, Madeha Alshawish
Abstract
The widespread utility of unsaturated 2-cyanoacetamide derivatives in medicinal chemistry is fixed, as they serve as essential building blocks for synthesizing bioactive compounds, thereby facilitating the development of innovative pharmaceutical agents. This study presents an efficient and high-yielding synthetic approach to novel arylidene cyanoacetamide derivatives via Knoevenagel condensation. A series of N-substituted cyanoacetamides (2, 3, 4, and 5) were first prepared by reacting ethyl cyanoacetate (1) with cyclohexylamine, morpholine, piperidine, and piperazine. These intermediates were subsequently condensed with various aromatic aldehydes including cinnamaldehyde (6), 3-(4-dimethylamino) phenyl acrylaldehyde (7), and 4-(dimethylamino) benzaldehyde (8) using trimethylamine as a base catalyst. The reaction afforded the target arylidene derivatives (I-VI) excellent yields (70.0-90.0%) under mild and straightforward conditions. All compounds were fully characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectrometry. This method provides a practical and scalable route to structurally diverse arylidene cyanoacetamides, which hold potential for applications in medicinal chemistry (e.g., as bioactive scaffolds) and materials science (e.g., as optoelectronic materials).
Keywords
References
- Fadda AA, Bondock S, Rabie R, Etman HA. Cyanoacetamide derivatives as synthons in heterocyclic synthesis. Turkish Journal of Chemistry. 2008; 32 (3): 259-286. doi: Nil.
- Basha SJ, Mohan P, Yeggoni DP, Babu ZR, Kumar PB, Rao AD, Subramanyam R, Damu AG. New flavone-cyanoacetamide hybrids with a combination of cholinergic, antioxidant, modulation of β-Amyloid aggregation, and neuroprotection properties as innovative multifunctional therapeutic candidates for Alzheimer’s disease and unraveling their mechanism of action with acetylcholinesterase. Molecular Pharmaceutics. 2018; 15 (6): 2206-2223. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00041
- Li Q, An R, Xu Y, Zhou M, Li Y, Guo C, Wang R. Synthesis of (1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-acrylamide derivatives as potential antitumor agents against acute leukemia cells. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 2020; 30 (10): 127114. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020
- Abdelmoniem AM, Ghozlan SAS, Abdelwahab HM, Abdelhamid IA. 2-Cyano-N-(thiophen-2-yl)acetamide in Heterocyclic Synthesis: Synthesis and Antibacterial Screening of Novel Pyrido[1,2-a]thieno[3,2-e]pyrimidine-2-carboxylate Moieties. Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry. 2019; 56(9): 2637-2643. doi: 10.1002/jhet.3676
- Mohamed FG, Ragheb MA, Elwahy AHN, Diab HM, Emara M, Salem ME, et al. Synthesis, cytotoxic evaluation, and binding studies of novel sulphamethoxazole-based cyanoacrylamides as potential antitumor agents. Results in Chemistry. 2025; 14: 102119. doi: 10.1016/j.rechem.2025.102119
- Sanad SMH, Elwahy AHM, Abdelhamid IA. Bis(2-cyanoacetamides): versatile precursors for bis(dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles). Arkivoc. 2018; 7: 39-49. doi: 10.24820/ark.5550190.p010.683
- Abdelmoniem AM, Salaheldin TA, Abdelhamid IA, Elwahy AHM. New bis(dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbonitrile) derivatives: Green synthesis and cytotoxic activity evaluation. Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry. 2017; 54 (5): 2670-2677. doi: 10.1002/jhet.2867
- Hebishy AMS, Abdelhamidb IA, Elwahyb AHM. Synthesis of novel bis(dihydropyridine) and terpyridine derivatives. Arkivoc. 2018; 5: 109-123. doi: 10.24820/ark.5550190.p010.498
- Litvinov VP. Cyanoacetamides and their thio- and selenocarbonyl analogues as promising reagents for fine organic synthesis. Russian Chemical Reviews. 1999; 68(9): 737-763. doi: 1070/RC1999v068n09ABEH000533
- Ghozlan SAA, Abdelmoniem AM, Ramadan MA, Abdelwahab HM, Abdelrahman MGM, Abdelhamid IA. Synthesis and synthetic applications of cyanoacetamides. Arkivoc. 2020; 2: 297-399. doi: 10.24820/ark. 5550190.p011.254
- Rego YF, Queiroz MP, Brito TO, Carvalho PG, de Queiroz VT, de Fátima A, Macedo Jr F. A review on the development of urease inhibitors as antimicrobial agents against pathogenic bacteria. Journal of Advanced Research. 2018; 13: 69-100. doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2018.05.003
- Faisal M, Saeed A, Hussain S, Dar P, Larik FA. Recent developments in synthetic chemistry and biological activities of pyrazole derivatives. Journal of Chemical Sciences. 2019; 131 (70): 2019. doi: 10.1007/s12039-019-1646-1
- Zhu L, Zhao Y. Cyanostilbene-based intelligent organic optoelectronic materials. Journal of Materials Chemistry C. 2013; 1: 1059. doi: 10.1039/C2TC00593J
Submitted date:
06/06/2025
Reviewed date:
06/28/2025
Accepted date:
07/01/2025