Preparation and use of combustion-derived Bi2O3 for the synthesis of heterocycles with anti-cancer properties by Suzuki-coupling reactions

Abstract

Bismuth oxide was synthesized via simple, rapid and energy efficient solution combustion synthesis (SCS) by employing sucrose as a fuel. This SCS-Bi₂O₃ was characterized by analytical techniques such as PXRD, SEM, EDX, UV-Visible and BET surface area measurement. Using the prepared SCS-Bi₂O₃, several classes of heterocyclic compounds were synthesized in good yields via Suzuki-coupling reaction in aqueous medium. Interestingly, the recovered SCS-Bi₂O₃ could be reused three times without a significant loss of catalytic activity. Further, the synthesized compounds were tested for cytotoxic activity against a human hepatoma cancer cell line (HepG2). Among these, compound 3n effectively inhibited the proliferation of these cells with an IC₅₀ value of 8.4 μM. Thus, this paper describes the preparation of highly effective Bi₂O₃, which can be used for synthesizing various classes of heterocycles, including those having anti-cancer property.