Catalyst-free sonosynthesis of highly substituted propanamide derivatives in water

•A sonochemical method was optimized for the preparation of propanamides.•The use of water as a non-hazardous solvent in the synthesis of propanamides.•Optimization of various parameters was done to obtain maximum yield.•Ultrasound helps to reduce the reaction time compared to conventional processes.•Optimized reaction conditions were obtained under ultrasound method (100 W, 40 min).

A clean, rapid and energy-efficient approach to catalyst-free one-pot synthesis of highly substituted propanamide derivatives in water was developed utilizing of the ultrasonic irradiation. The method has been successful in achieving the green chemistry objective. A catalyst-free operation, an energy efficient protocol using ultrasound irradiation instead of conventional heating or stirring and use of water as a non-hazardous, inexpensive and readily available solvent in the one-step reaction against sequential reaction steps thus combining the features of both economic and environmental advantages.

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