A facile synthesis of sulfonylureas via water assisted preparation of carbamates.

A novel and simple approach to the synthesis of sulfonylureas has been reported. It involved the reaction of various amines with diphenyl carbonate to yield the corresponding carbamates, which subsequently reacted with different sulphonamides to produce different sulfonylureas in excellent yields. The first reaction of diphenyl carbonate with amines was carried out in aqueous : organic (H2O : THF, 90 : 10) medium at room temperature to produce carbamates that paved a straightforward route to sulfonylureas after reaction with sulfonamides. The above process avoided traditional multistep protocols and the use of hazardous, irritant, toxic and moisture sensitive reagents such as phosgene, isocyanates and/or chloroformates.