Solvent-free synthesis of novel benzodiazepine derivatives by a threecomponent base-catalysed reaction of isatoic anhydride, a primary amine and chloroacetyl chloride.

Heating isatoic anhydride with a series of primary amines at 150 °C under solvent-free conditions yielded 2-amino-N-alkylbenzamides which, in the same pot, reacted readily with chloroacetyl chloride in the presence of poly(dimethylaminoethyl acrylamide)-modified magnetic nanoparticles (MNP@PDMA), a base catalyst, to give 4-alkyl-1,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-diones in good yields without formation of by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]