Indium Chloride catalyzed [2+2] Cycloaddition reactions in an environmentally benign solvent system

Chemist have been painstakingly searching for an ideal solvent for organic reactions that possesses the following criteria : good Chemical & thermal stabilities ,low vapor pressure , low toxicity, high fluidity, wide liquid range, good solubility for a wide range of organic and inorganic reagents and ready recyclability. Indium Chloride catalyzes efficiently the cycladdition reactions of aryl imines with vinyl ether under mild reaction conditions to afford corresponding Azetidine in high yields with diastereoselectivity. Cycloaddition reaction is one of the most powerful synthetic routes for constructing nitrogen containing four membered heterocycles. Azetidine derivatives are an important class of compounds in the field of pharmaceuticals and exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activity including psychotropic,antiallergic,anti-inflammatory and estrogenic activity. Generally Lewis Acids [InCl3,Zn(BF4)2,LiBF4] are known to catalyze the cycloaddition reactions to produce Azetidine derivatives.It has contemplated exploring& utility of InCl3 as Lewis acid catalyst in presence of environmentally benign solvent systemto afford a new motifs whichhave potency as biologically active agents.