Green catalyst of cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles using petai peel extract for the synthesis of thiazolidinedione-based chalcone 4H-thiopyran as an antioxidant

Abstract

CoFe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using the green synthesis method with petai peel extract (PPE) as the capping and reducing agent. These nanoparticles were characterized using various techniques, including XRD, VSM, FTIR spectroscopy, UV-DRS, FESEM, EDX, TEM, HR-TEM, and SAED. The synthesized nanoparticles possess cubic morphology with an average size of 37.67 nm. CoFe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles were used as a catalyst for the synthesis of organic compounds, namely, chalcones. The synthesized organic compounds were characterized using FTIR, UV-Vis, LC-HRMS, and melting point test. The best result for chalcone synthesis was 62.26% using CoFe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (5 mol%) in ethanol at reflux condition for 2 h. The nanocatalyst could be used for 5 cycles without any significant loss of yields. The synthesized organic compounds were further examined for their antioxidant activity. The 4H-thiopyran 2-acetyl pyridine variant (product 2) exhibited the highest antioxidant activity with an IC₅₀ value of 90.80 μg mL⁻¹. This was supported by the bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) values of the C–H groups of benzo[g]thiochromene and pyridine, which were 74.0 kcal mol⁻¹ and 105.1 kcal mol⁻¹, respectively. The objective of this study is to develop a method for synthesizing organic compounds using green catalysts in order to reduce the adverse environmental impact. Furthermore, this research also aims to investigate the antioxidant potential of the thiazolidinedione-based chalcone 4H-thiopyran compounds in order to overcome oxidative stress.