Experimental and Theoretical Investigation on Imidazole Derivatives Using Magnetic Nanocatalyst: Green Synthesis, Characterization, and Mechanism Study

The green synthesis of 4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazole derivatives was studied experimentally and theoretically through a one-pot, three-component reaction of diverse aldehydes, ammonium acetate, and benzil using Fe3O4@C@PrNHSO3H nanoparticles under solvent-free conditions. The core-shell magnetic nanoparticles of Fe3O4@C@PrNHSO3H were introduced as an effective, environmentally friendly, and magnetically removable catalyst in the reaction. The recovered catalyst could be used eight times with admirable catalytic activity. Before entering the laboratory, the synthesis of imidazoles was studied from a computational point of view to find the most plausible mechanism and select the appropriate raw materials. Three probable mechanistic paths were considered. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed the following mechanism: (1) reaction of benzil and ammonia to form iminoethanone, (2) reaction of aldehyde and ammonia to form imin, (3) reaction of imin with iminoethanone and ring formation, and (4) rearrangement to produce 4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazole. The results were affirmed by the frontier molecular orbitals, natural bond orbital analyses, and molecular electrostatic potential calculations.