Synthesis of 2,3‑dihydroquinazolin‑4(1H)‑ones catalyzed by Fe3O4@nano-cellulose/CuCl2 as a bio‑based magnetic catalyst

Recently biopolymers such as cellulose and starch [1-2] have been used as support for heterogeneous catalytic systems. In this context, cellulose can play a major roleas a natural, biocompatible and biodegradable polymer containing free OH groups with nucleophilic character for bonding to Lewis acids. Nano-cellulose was prepared via partial hydrolysis of cellulose in cotton. Fe3O4@nano-cellulose can be obtained from reaction of FeCl2 and FeCl3 via NH4OH in an aqueous solution of nano-cellulose in a simple procedure. Lewis acids such as CuCl2 can be bound to surface OH groups in nano-cellulose for preparation of Fe3O4@nano-cellulose/CuCl2 as a new, green, bio-based and recyclable magnetic nano catalyst. This catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, FESEM, TEM, XRF, VSM, EDX and XRD. 2,3- Dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)- ones are an important class of fused heterocyclic compounds which have drawn much attention because of their biological potential and pharmaceutical activities such as anti- inflammatory, antibacterial, antitumor, antimicrobial and antioxidant [3]. In this report, 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)- ones can be synthesized via condensation of 2-aminobenzamide and aldehyde in the presence of Fe3O4@nano-cellulose/CuCl2 in water at room temperature (Scheme 1). This protocol includes some important advantages such as short reaction times, high yields, simple methodology and easy work-up. The nano-catalyst could be recycled and reused without significant loss of its catalytic activity