2-Hydroxyethylammonium acetate: A reusable task-specific ionic liquid promoting one-pot, three-component synthesis of 2-amino-3,5-dicarbonitrile-6-thio-pyridines

2-Hydroxyethylammonium acetate (2-HEAA) as a task-specific ionic liquid, efficiently promotes one-pot three-component reaction of aryl/heteroaryl/alkyl aldehydes with aryl/alkyl thiols and malononitrile at room temperature. This protocol offers several advantages such as using a reusable and cost-effective ionic liquid, being amenable to scale-up and produces the corresponding 2-amino-3,5-dicarbonitrile-6-thio-pyridines in a short reaction time (5 min) and in good to high yields.