Reusable nano-catalyzed green protocols for the synthesis of quinoxalines: an overview

Heterocyclic compounds are very widely distributed in nature and are essential for life activities. They play a vital role in the metabolism of all living cells, for example, vitamins and co-enzyme precursors thiamine, riboflavin etc. Quinoxalines are a class of N-heterocycles that are present in a variety of natural and synthetic compounds. The distinct pharmacological activities of quinoxalines have attracted medicinal chemists considerably over the past few decades. Quinoxaline-based compounds possess extensive potential applications as medicinal drugs, presently; more than fifteen drugs are available for the treatment of different diseases. Diverse synthetic protocols have been developed via a one-pot approach using efficient catalysts, reagents, and nano-composites/nanocatalysts etc. But the use of homogeneous and transition metal-based catalysts suffers some demerits such as low atom economy, recovery of catalysts, harsh reaction conditions, extended reaction period, expensive catalysts, the formation of by-products, and unsatisfactory yield of products as well as toxic solvents. These drawbacks have shifted the attention of chemists/researchers to develop green and efficient protocols for synthesizing quinoxaline derivatives. In this context, many efficient methods have been developed for the synthesis of quinoxalines using nanocatalysts or nanostructures. In this review, we have summarized the recent progress (till 2023) in the nano-catalyzed synthesis of quinoxalines using condensation of o-phenylenediamine with diketone/other reagents with plausible mechanistic details. With this review, we hope that some more efficient ways of synthesizing quinoxalines can be developed by synthetic chemists.

Fe/Co-MOF Nanocatalysts: Greener Chemistry Approach for the Removal of Toxic Metals and Catalytic Applications

This study describes the preparation of new bimetallic (Fe/Co)-organic framework (Bi-MOF) nanocatalysts with different percentages of iron/cobalt for their use and reuse in adsorption, antibacterial, antioxidant, and catalytic applications following the principles of green chemistry. The prepared catalysts were characterized using several techniques, including X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. These techniques proved the formation of MOFs, and the average crystallite sizes were 25.3-53.1, 27.6-67.2, 3.0-18.9, 3.0-12.9, and 3.0-23.6 nm for the Fe-MOF, Co-MOF, 10%Fe:90%Co-MOF, 50%Fe:50%Co-MOF, and 90%Fe:10%Co-MOF samples, respectively. The nanoscale (Fe/Co) Bi-MOF catalysts as efficient heterogeneous solid catalysts showed high catalytic activity with excellent yields and short reaction times in the catalytic reactions of quinoxaline and dibenzoxanthene compounds, in addition to their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Furthermore, the nanoscale (Fe/Co) Bi-MOF catalysts efficiently removed toxic metal pollutants (Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Cu²⁺) from aqueous solutions with high adsorption capacity.

A General Method for the Synthesis of 11H-Indeno[1,2-B]Quinoxalin- 11-Ones and 6H-Indeno[1,2-B]Pyrido[3,2-E]Pyrazin-6-One Derivatives Using Mandelic Acid as an Efficient Organo-Catalyst at Room Temperature

Aims:

Synthesis of 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-ones as well as 6H-indeno[1,2-b]pyrido[3,2-e]pyrazin-6-one derivatives under greener conditions.

Background:

Quinoxaline and related skeletons are very common in naturally occurring bioactive compounds.

Objective:

Design a facile, green and organo-catalyzed method for the synthesis of 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-ones as well as 6H-indeno[1,2-b]pyrido[3,2-e]pyrazin-6-one derivatives.

Methods:

Both the scaffolds were synthesized via the condensation of ninhydrin and o-phenylenediamines or pyridine-2,3-diamines respectively by using a catalytic amount of mandelic acid as an efficient, commercially available, low cost, organo-catalyst in aqueous ethanol at room temperature.

Results:

Mild reaction conditions, use of metal-free organocatalyst, non-toxic solvent, ambient temperature, and no column chromatographic separation are some of the notable advantages of our developed protocol.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, we have developed a simple, mild, facile and efficient method for the synthesis of structurally diverse 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one derivatives via the condensation reactions of ninhydrin and various substituted benzene-1,2-diamines using a catalytic amount of mandelic acid as a commercially available metal-free organo-catalyst in aqueous ethanol at room temperature. Under the same optimized reaction conditions, synthesis of 6H-indeno[1,2-b]pyrido[3,2-e]pyrazin-6-one derivatives was also accomplished with excellent yields by using pyridine-2,3-diamines instead of o-phenylenediamine.

Magnetic Nanoparticle Supported Ionic Liquid Phase Catalyst for Oxidation of Alcohols

A new magnetic nanoparticle supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) catalyst containing perruthenate anions was prepared by a multistep procedure. The various analytical techniques such as FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and vibrating sample magnetometer analysis ascertained the successful formation of catalyst. The performance of a magnetically retrievable SILP catalyst was evaluated in the selective oxidation of alcohols. The split test and leaching studies of the SILP catalyst confirmed its heterogeneous nature. In addition, the reusability potential of SILP catalyst was also investigated which revealed its robust activity up to six consecutive cycles.

Selective ultrasonic assisted synthesis of iron oxide mesoporous structures based on sulfonated melamine formaldehyde and survey of nanorod/sphere, sphere and core/shell on their catalysts properties for the Biginelli reaction

Sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde including iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by sulfonation of melamine-formaldehyde and then Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were bounded onto the surface of sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde (SMF). Two different iron oxide nanostructures including nanorods/spheres and nanospheres on sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde (SMF/Fe₃O₄) were obtained only by modifying the time of radiation from 4 to 8 h in our synthetic method. Furthermore core/shell (Fe₃O₄@SMF) was prepared by entrapping Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles as the core and sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde as the outer shell. The prepared components were characterized via, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), titration, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, Barret-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) analysis, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). According to obtained results, the synthesized products had a thermal stability near 180 °C, particle-size distribution around of 20-140 nm and surface area between 6 and 10 m²/g. In this study, vapor was used as a heat source. These effective and magnetically recoverable catalysts were employed for the synthesis of numerous 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones by utilizing aldehydes, ethylacetoacetate and urea. Functional easiness, excellent yields, short reaction time, the simplicity of work-up or filter, and thermal stability of these catalysts created them as appropriate heterogeneous systems and acceptable alternative to different heterogeneous catalysts.

Synthesis, characterisation, molecular docking, biomolecular interaction and cytotoxicity studies of novel ruthenium(ii)–arene-2-heteroarylbenzoxazole complexes

Ru(ii)–arene-2-heteroarylbenzoxazole complexes were synthesized and implemented for their biological evaluation.

Benzodiazines: recent synthetic advances

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in synthetic strategies for benzodiazines, important scaffolds in medicinal chemistry.

An Efficient and Recyclable Nanoparticle-Supported Cobalt Catalyst for Quinoxaline Synthesis

The syntheses of quinoxalines derived from 1,2-diamine and 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds under mild reaction conditions was carried out using a nanoparticle-supported cobalt catalyst. The supported nanocatalyst exhibited excellent activity and stability and it could be reused for at least ten times without any loss of activity. No cobalt contamination could be detected in the products by AAS measurements, pointing to the excellent activity and stability of the Co nanomaterial.

Efficient, One-Pot Synthesis of Polyfunctionalised Octahydroquinazolin-2,5-Diones Catalysed by Fe3O4 Nanoparticles

Using an efficient and eco-friendly approach, 14 4-aryl-7,7-dimethyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydroquinazolin-2,5-diones (and six of their 2-thione analogues) were prepared in good yields and in short reaction times by a three-component reaction of an araldehyde, dimedone and urea (or thiourea) using Fe3O4 nanoparticles in aqueous ethanol under reflux conditions. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles, which were easily prepared and could be recycled, were fully characterised by TEM, SEM, XRD, EDX, VSM and FTIR analysis.

Magnetic Pd/Fe3O4 Composite: Synthesis, Structure, and Catalytic Activity

Composite Pd/Fe3O4 (1) was designed and synthesised by immobilization of tridentate pincer ligands with triethoxysilane groups on Fe3O4 nanoparticles, PdII complexation, and in-situ reduction process. The composite was characterised by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. The composite featured Pd nanoparticles of ~2–4 nm, exhibited good thermal stability and hydrophilic property as well as excellent catalytic activity towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in water.