Lemon juice catalyzed C-C bond formation via C-H activation of methylarene: a sustainable synthesis of chromenopyrimidines.

An economical and proficient approach has been developed for the synthesis of chromenopyrimidines via three-component reaction of thiobarbituric acid/barbituric acid, methylarenes and dimedone/1,3-cyclohexanedione by using lemon juice as a natural, biodegradable catalyst and TBHP as an oxidant. This transformation involves metal-free C-C bond formation via C-H activation of methylarenes under mild reaction conditions.