Copper-catalyzed synthesis of (E)-2,4-diaryl-6-styrylpyrimidines from distyrylketones and benzamidines

An efficient method for the synthesis of (E)-2,4-diaryl-6-styrylpyrimidines by copper-catalyzed reactions of distyrylketones with benzamidines through aza-Michael addition/nucleophilic addition/aerobic oxidative dehydrogenation cascade reactions is described. The salient features for this protocol are the use of easy-to-obtain starting materials, inexpensive catalyst, wide range of substrates and functional group tolerance, high atom economy, high yield, and simple operation procedures. The method can also be extended to gram scale.