Unlocking the Molecular Behavior of Natural Amine-Targeted Carbon Quantum Dots for the Synthesis of Diverse Pharmacophore Scaffolds via an Unusual Nanoaminocatalytic Route

作者：Surendra Kumar Saini, Pratibha Saini, Krishan Kumar, Mukul Sethi, Priyanka Meena, Aditya Gurjar, Anshu Dandia, Tanya Dhuria, Vijay Parewa · 发表于：ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1021/acsami.3c08812 · 被引用次数：21 · 研究领域：Carbon and Quantum Dots Applications、Nanocluster Synthesis and Applications、Electrochemical sensors and biosensors

Despite the fact that carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have significant catalytic potential, only emblematic applications that rely on simple acid–base or hydrogen-bonding activation pathways have been reported. In this study, natural amine-targeted CQDs (NAT-CQDs) have been successfully fabricated using a sustainable technique that harnesses a renewable green source. Based on a holistic sustainable assessment, the present approach for the synthesis of NAT-CQDs surpasses previously reported methods in terms of estimated circular and good-manufacturing-practice metrics. A set of spectroscopic and analytical techniques, including FTIR, XPS, conductometric assay, pH titration, 19 FNMR, and 13 CNMR confirms the presence of the assessable amino-rich groups (0.0083N) at the surface of NAT-CQDs. The occurrence of surface amine groups unlocked the molecular behavior of as-prepared NAT-CQDs and makes them an unprecedented nanoaminocatalytic platform for the synthesis of diverse pharmacophore scaffolds (>40 examples) via a one-pot Knoevenagel/(aza) Michael addition reaction in water at room temperature. The assessable amine group can covalently activate carbonyl groups through nucleophilic iminium activation modes in water and facilitate the ability to build valuable and therapeutic scaffolds on a gram scale. By transferring significant molecular primacy at the frontier of nanoscale materials, NAT-CQDs can thus bridge the gap between the nanoscale and molecular domains. This protocol can als...