Abstract
Sodium ascorbate (SA), acts as an efficient catalyst in the Knoevenagel condensation reaction of aryl aldehydes with Meldrum's acid in water as an environmental friendly solvent. In this reaction, 5-arylidene-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione derivatives were obtained with high yields at shorter reaction periods at room temperature. The advantages of this method are simplicity, green, safe, convenient work-up, inexpensive and readily available catalyst.