Synthesis, X-ray crystal structures and catecholase activity investigation of new chalcone ligands

The reaction of dehydroacetic acid DHA carboxaldehyde and RCHO derivatives (R = quinoleine-8-; indole-3-; pyrrol-2- and 4-(dimethylamino)phenyl - afforded four new chalcone ligands (4-hydroxy-6-methyl-3-[(2E)-3-quinolin-8-ylprop-2-enoyl]-2H-pyran-2-one) L1, (4-hydroxy-3-[(2E)-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)prop-2-enoyl]-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one) L2, (4-hydroxy-6-methyl-3-[(2E)-3-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)prop-2-enoyl]-2H-pyran-2-one) L3, and (3-{(2E)-3-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]prop-2-enoyl}-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one) L4. L3 and L4 were characterized by X-ray crystallography. Molecules crystallize with four and two molecules in the asymmetric unit, respectively and adopt an E conformation about the C=C bond. Both structures are stabilized by an extended network O-H center dot center dot center dot O. Furthermore, N-H center dot center dot center dot O and C-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds are observed in L3 and L4 structures, respectively. The in situ generated copper (II) complexes of the four compounds L1, L2, L3 and L4 were examined for their catalytic activities and were found to catalyze the oxidation reaction of catechol to o-quinone under atmospheric dioxygen. The rates of this oxidation depend on three parameters: ligand, ion salts and solvent nature and the combination L-2[Cu (CH3COO)(2)] leads to the faster catalytic process. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.