Plant mediated synthesis of flower-like Cu2O microbeads from Artimisia campestris L. extract for the catalyzed synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives

Abstract

This study presents a novel method for synthesizing 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives through a one-pot, multi-component addition reaction using flower-like Cu₂O microbeads as a catalyst. The flower-like Cu₂O microbeads were synthesized using an aqueous extract of Artimisia Campestris L. This extract demonstrated the capability to reduce and stabilize Cu₂O particles during their initial formation, resulting in the formation of a porous flower-like morphology. These Cu₂O microbeads exhibit distinctive features, including a cubic close-packed (ccp) crystal structure with an average crystallite size of 22.8 nm, bandgap energy of 2.7 eV and a particle size of 6 µm. Their catalytic activity in synthesizing 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives was investigated through systematic exploration of key parameters such as catalyst quantity (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 mg/mL), solvent type (dimethylformamide/H₂O, ethanol/H₂O, dichloromethane/H₂O, chloroform, acetone, and dimethyl sulfoxide), and catalyst reusability (four cycles). The Cu₂O microbeads significantly increased the product yield from 20% to 85.3%. The green synthesis and outstanding catalytic attributes make these flower-like Cu₂O microbeads promising, efficient, and recyclable catalysts for sustainable and effective chemical transformations.

Keywords: 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles; Artimisia Campestris L. extract; cuprous oxide; flower-like nanostructures; green synthesis.