BMIM[BF4]: An Efficient Ionic Liquid Medium for the Synthesis of Chromeno[b]pyridines as Potential Anticancer Agents

A series of 2-amino-4-aryl-5-oxochromeno[4,3-b]pyridine-3-carbonitriles have been synthesized with good yields (85-90%) by reacting 4-amino-2H-chromen-2-one, substituted benzaldehydes, and malono-nitrile at 80-85 degrees C for 90-120 min using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as an ionic liquid medium. The synthesized derivatives have been screened for their anticancer potential on SKOV-3 and PC-3 cell lines, and the results were found to be encouraging. In addition, molecular descriptor prediction was performed for the compounds in terms of Lipinski's rule of five; in particular, their topological polar surface areas (TPSA) and lipophilicities (iLogP) were found to be within an acceptable range.