Efficient Synthesis and Antioxidant Activity Evaluation of Novel Fused Indenofurane Derivatives Using Fe3O4-Magnetic Nanoparticles

Abstract

An efficient one-pot procedure was investigated for the synthesis of new indenofuran derivatives employing poly-phenols and ninhydrins in the presence of magnetically reusable Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4 MNPs) in acetonitrile at different temperatures. Application of nanocatalysts for these reactions caused high efficiency, easy separation of products and clean reactions in a shorter time. Also, a study of antioxidant properties of synthesized compounds was performed using DPPH radical scavenging method and the impact of structural changes on these properties was investigated. The best antioxidant effect was seen for 3a with IC50 0.039 mM relative to BHT as the positive control (0.051 mM). In this paper, it was described that Fe3O4 MNPs can be used instead of glacial acetic acid to synthesize new indenofurane derivatives. The Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles improved the yield of the products and demonstrated significant reusable activity. This cost‐effective catalyst has the advantages of high product yields and simple work‐up procedures as well as high thermal and mechanical stability. HIGHLIGHTS Indeno[1,2-b]furans are attractive scaffolds because of their efficiency of synthesis and bioactivity properties. Indeno[1,2-b]furans, in particular, received considerable attention from a synthetic and biological perspective. During the synthesis of Indenofuran compounds, the Fe3O4 nanocatalyst shows better catalytic activity than their bulk-sized samples and also other catalysts. Efficient nanocatalyst with easy recovery and reusability.