The first example of a formaldehyde equivalent covalently immobilized onto a silica
surface is presented in a prototypical regioselective Groebke–Blackburn–Bienymé (GBB)
reaction to afford 2-unsubstituted-3-aminoimidazo[1,2-a]heterocycles. The presence of a solid support facilitates the reaction without a
solvent under microwave irradiation in good yields.
Key words
silica-supported glyoxylic acid - isocyanide - multicomponent reactions - solventless