Review on Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) Technique in Drug Discovery Researches and Solvent-Free Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-Ones/Thiones Catalyzed by Camphor Sulfonic Acid

Combined with various computational and theoretical approaches, computer-aided drug design (CADD) is one of the contemporary approaches to drug discovery. Furthermore, this study briefly assesses the literature on computer-assisted drug design (CADD) techniques used in drug discovery research. An environmentally friendly synthetic route was developed for the convenient Biginelli synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyridine-2-(1H)-ones/thiones when no solvents are involved in the reaction using aromatic derivatives, urea/thiourea, and ethyl/methyl acetoacetate as catalysts in combination with camphor sulfonic acid (CSA). All reactions proceeded rapidly, and good product yields were obtained. Green synthesis in this study has many advantages over conventional synthesis, including a clean and environmentally friendly synthesis, easy operation, the elimination of hazardous organic solvents, a purification step free of chromatography, and the use of a non-corrosive and non-volatile catalyst. Furthermore, the method can be applied to single-tank reactions in a solvent-free environment.