Vol.:(0123456789) Research on Chemical Intermediates https://doi.org/10.1007/s11164-020-04163-2 1 3 Catalytic synthesis of thiazolidines by the reaction of Nef‑isocyanide reaction Amneh Daghlavi 1  · Elaheh Kowsari 1  · Majid Abdouss 1  · Mohammad Hadi Ghasemi 2  · Elham Asadi 2 Received: 20 February 2020 / Accepted: 15 April 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020 Abstract A practical and efficient method for the synthesis of thiazolidine derivatives via Nef- isocyanide three-component reaction using supported phosphoric acid on graphene oxide (GO-H 2 PO 4 ) is described. In this study, a relatively simple method starting with cyclic and acyclic thiourea was employed. The catalyst was characterized using FTIR, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Using a combination of acetonitrile as solvent and GO- H 2 PO 4 as a catalytic system, the best results were obtained. All products were char- acterized using melting point, FTIR, MASS, 1 H NMR, and 13 C NMR techniques. The use of commercially available chemicals, reusability of the catalyst, high yields, decreased environmental hazards, with no need for the separation of stereoisomers, and, consequently, a reduced number of overall steps are the advantages of this approach that make it an appropriate choice at an increased scale. Keywords Functionalized graphene · Supported phosphoric acid · Acidic ionic liquid · Nef-isocyanide · Multi-component reaction · Thiazolidine Introduction Isocyanide is a surprising molecule due to its unique properties. This mole- cule can be electrophile and nucleophile at the same time [1]. Isocyanides have a wider range of applications in the multi-component and organometallic reactions [2]. The numerous reviews and articles in the isocyanide-based reactions reveal the high potential of isocyanide in organic synthesis [3]. In 1892, one of the most * Elaheh Kowsari kowsarie@aut.ac.ir 1 Department of Chemistry, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Avenue, No. 424, PO Box 159163-4413, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran 2 Applied Chemistry Research Group, ACECR-Tehran Organization, PO Box 13145-186, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran