Vitamin C-Catalyzed Hantzsch reaction under microwave condition: A greener access to 1,4-Dihydropyridines

A cost effective, operationally simple and environmentally benign one-pot access to 1,4-dihydropyridine (DHP) derivatives was achieved through the successful utilization of vitamin C as catalyst under microwave irradiation. The applicability of this method was fairly demonstrated through implementation of reaction conditions on diversified substrates. A plausible mechanistic interpretation for this reaction has been outlined based on Hantzsch reaction.