Supported ceric ammonium nitrate: A highly efficient catalytic system for the synthesis of diversified 2,3-substituted 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones

A practically expeditious protocol has been developed for the cascade synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones via the condensation of 2-aminobenzamide/2-aminobenzanilide and aromatic aldehydes using a catalytic amount of silica-supported ceric ammonium nitrate. This method affords rapid transformation at room temperature with good to excellent yields.