Utilisation of Home Laundry Effluent (HLE) as a catalyst for expeditious one-pot aqueous phase synthesis of highly functionalised 4-thiazolidinones

BACKGROUND: The impact of global warming and associated climate changes have built up pressure to focus on the option of green chemistry over traditional one for long term sustainability of the environment. Considering the fact, for the first time, efficient HLE catalysed expeditious one-pot synthesis of highly functionalised 4-thiazolidinones has been developed. RESULTS: These hybrid molecules were synthesized in good to excellent yields. The ease of work-up of the reactions less time required and mild conditions are notable features of this protocol. It was inferred that halogen containing derivatives were well suited to this condensation-cyclization reaction with varying rates to afford 4-thiazolidine derivatives. In general, the substitution on the aldehyde part was shown as a main determinant for reaction time and the product yield. CONCLUSION: For the first time home laundry effluent (HLE) owing to the surfactant like property has been successfully utilised as catalyst for the synthesis of a series of novel 4-thiazolidinone derivatives through one pot, three component condensation-cyclization reaction. The uniqueness of the present protocol lies in the operational simplicity, ability to reduce the demand for organic solvents, reduce the energy and carbon footprint, and meet a wide range of economic needs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-2-466) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.