Aerobic photooxidative synthesis of 2-aryl-4-quinazolinones from aromatic aldehydes and aminobenzamide using catalytic amounts of molecular iodine

This study reports a safe, mild, and environmentally benign synthetic method toward 2-aryl-4-quinazolinones from aromatic aldehydes and aminobenzamides through a cyclization-oxidation sequence using a catalytic amount of iodine, which serves as both a Lewis acid and an oxidant, harmless visible light irradiation, and molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant.