Green synthesis of indenone chalcones using recyclable Sr–Ca mixed oxide nanocatalyst with preliminary in vitro anticancer screeningVinay V. Kalasapur, Aravinda T, Vinay Kumar B, Manohar Kugaji, and N. Madhusudhana Department of Chemistry, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology Nitte (Deemed-to-Be University), Bengaluru, India
E-mail: aravindachem@gmail.com Received: 23 February 2026 Accepted: 4 June 2026 Abstract: A green Sr–Ca mixed oxide–catalyzed heterogeneous Claisen–Schmidt condensation was developed for the synthesis of indenone derivatives. The catalyst was prepared via solution combustion method using metal nitrates and urea as fuel under self-propagating combustion conditions, yielding a nanocrystalline mixed oxide. Nanocatalyst was characterized by PXRD, FTIR, SEM and TEM analyses. Reaction optimization revealed that a catalyst loading of 10 mol% at 70 °C within 4 h, afforded the target compounds in high yields (83–95%). The catalyst exhibited good recyclability, retaining its activity for up to four cycles with ≤ 2% loss in yield. Green chemistry metrics confirmed the efficiency of the protocol, with high atom economy (93.7–95.3%), good reaction mass efficiency (78.6–89.4%), and low E-factor (0.12–0.27), indicating minimal waste generation. The synthesized derivatives were characterized by 1H NMR, IR, and ESI–MS spectroscopy. Complementary and preliminary in vitro anticancer evaluation against MDA-MB-231 indicated moderate activity, with compound 3c showing an IC50 value of 53.6 µM. Qualitative DNA cleavage studies revealed partial interaction at concentrations of 40–50 µM. These results are exploratory and intended only to indicate potential biological relevance. Overall, this study introduces a previously unreported Sr–Ca mixed oxide nanocatalyst for Claisen–Schmidt condensation, enabling the efficient synthesis of structurally diverse indenone compounds under mild and green conditions. The combination of high yields, quantified green metrics, catalyst recyclability, and preliminary biological screening highlights the practical utility of this protocol. The study demonstrates that alkaline-earth mixed oxides can enhance catalytic efficiency compared to single-metal oxide systems under similar conditions. Keywords: Indenone; Sr-Ca mixed oxide; Nano catalysis; Green Claisen–Schmidt reaction; Green metrics Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com. DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-05171-z
Chemical Papers 80 (11) 13163–13183 (2026) |
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