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

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. This journal is © the Partner Organisations 2014