Straightforward synthesis of 2-propylquinolines under multicomponent conditions in fluorinated alcohols

The synthesis of 2-propylquinolines, a family of antileishmanial agents, is reported. Among the pathways explored, the 3-component Povarov reaction between butyraldehyde, aromatic amines and ethyl vinyl ether in trifluoroethanol (TFE), followed by an oxidation, offers a convenient entry to 2-propylquinolines with various substituents on positions 5–8.