Preparation of α-chitin-based nanocomposite as an effective biocatalyst for microwave aided domino reaction

In this paper, chitin (Ch) was extracted by an optimized method from cuttlebone of the Persian Gulf cuttlefish (Sepiidae, Cephalopoda). The extracted chitin was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) which showed that the extracted chitin was in alpha form. The degree of N-acetylation (DA) and degree of substitution (DS) of α-chitin were calculated using titration method and FTIR spectroscopy and found to be 80–82% and 19.57 respectively. The α-Chitin was used as biomolecules for the preparation of nanostructured Ch/ZnO via a hydrothermal method. The obtained nanocomposite was characterized using FT-IR, XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. The antimicrobial aspect of Ch/ZnO nanocomposite was previously proposed. In this paper, attempt was made to add the catalytic feature to these traits. For this purpose, the nanostructured Ch/ZnO was used as reusable nanocatalyst in the green and efficient synthesis of Benzo[a]pyrano(2,3-c)phenazine derivatives thru a four components microwave aided domino reaction. Eco-friendly, easy work up and separation of the nanostructured catalyst are some of the highlighted features this protocol.