Combustion Synthesis of Nano Fe2O3 and its Utilization as a Catalyst for the Synthesis of Nα-Protected Acyl Thioureas and Study of Anti-bacterial Activities

Abstract

A simple and eco-friendly nano Fe₂O₃ heterogeneous catalytic system is described for the synthesis of acyl thiourea derivatives from corresponding in situ generated acyl isothiocyanates and amino acid esters in acetone obtained in good yields. The structures of synthesized acyl thioureas were confimed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, mass, and FTIR analysis. Fe₂O₃ NPs has been prepared via a solution combustion route using ascorbic acid as the reducing agent and ferric nitrate as the source of iron. The prepared nano material has been characterized by XRD, SEM, UV-Visible, and FTIR analysis. More prominently, the Fe₂O₃ and other impurities are removed though a simple work-up and the material prepared shows to be effective in catalyzing the conversion of reactants to products in good yields. Further, some of the synthesized acyl thioureas were evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.