Urea/thiourea catalyzed, solvent-free synthesis of 5-arylidenethiazolidine-2,4-diones and 5-arylidene-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones.

An efficient and organo-catalyzed method has been developed for the synthesis of 5-arylidenethiazolidine-2,4-diones and 5-arylidene-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones via Knoevenagel condensation of arylaldehydes 1 and 2,4-thiazolidinedione 2a/2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one 2b under mild conditions. Urea-adduct 4 and azomethine 5 also afford arylidene-products 3 by reacting with 2a-b via addition-elimination reaction. This protocol has the features of use of inexpensive, ecofriendly readily available, effective catalyst system viz. urea/thiourea, avoidance of volatile solvents, excellent yield and simple work-up procedure.