Green Synthesis of NiO Nanoparticles using Pongamia pinnata and their Catalytic Utility in the Snthesis of N-Fmoc/Cbz-protected Amino Acid Derived Sulfides and their Biological Investigations

Synthesis of NiO nanoparticles using environmentally friendly Pongamia pinnata seeds as a source of fuel was demonstrated using a solution combustion approach. The protocol for the synthesis of NiO NPs is simple and efficient. NiO NPs were utilized as the catalyst for the synthesis of N-protected aminoalkyl sulfides from N-protected alkyl thiols and bromo esters of amino acids. The NiO NPs were characterized using XRD, SEM, and EDX techniques. N-protected aminoalkyl sulfides were characterized by HRMS, 1H, and 13C NMR techniques and were evaluated for their in vitro antifungal activities, against A. Niger using Fluconazole as a standard. The current study presents an effective approach for synthesizing a new class of sulfides from N-protected aminoalkyl thiols and bromomethyl esters in the presence of nano NiO as a catalyst.