Nanometric-Thick Metal-Free h-Boron Nitride/Graphene Films as Base Catalyst for the Synthesis of Benzoxazoles

Abstract

[EN] Catalysts are frequently used as pelletized powdered materials, but rarely as thin films. The present work reports the use of 2D h-boron nitride on few layers defective graphene (h-BN/fl-G) films of about 10 nm thickness as base catalyst for the synthesis of benzoxazoles by coupling a 2-amino-phenol with p-substituted benzaldehydes. The synthesis of benzoxazole derivatives has aroused much interest in the last decades due to their application as potent anticancer agents against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The results demonstrate that these nanometer-thick films exhibit three orders of magnitude higher activity than K2CO3 taken as benchmark base catalyst. The activity and selectivity of h-BN/fl-G films depend on the nature of substituents on benzaldehyde, the solvent and reaction temperature.