Non-ionic surfactant catalyzed synthesis of Betti base in water

We have developed an efficient non-ionic surfactant (Triton X-100) catalyzed multicomponent synthesis of Betti base from secondary amine, aromatic aldehydes, and β-naphthol using Mannich-type reaction in water. Lewis and Brønsted acid catalysts, ionic and non-ionic surfactant have been screened for the reaction. Non-ionic surfactant (Triton X-100) gave the best results and the reaction proceeds through the imine formation, which is stabilized by colloidal dispersion and undergoes nucleophilic addition to afford the corresponding N,N-dialkylated Betti base in excellent yields.