In water Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions of acrylates enabled by aqueous micellar catalysis using TPGS-750 M

We report a protocol for Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions under aqueous micellar catalysis conditions based on TPGS-750 M. The reaction efficiency depends on solubility and polarity of the substrates in the micellar system, reaching high yields for numerous reactive aldehydes. Recyclability of the reaction medium and gram-scale reaction, low loading, room temperature, easy set-up and purification exemplify the friendliness and utility of this method.