Unlocking the Molecular Behavior of Natural Amine-Targeted Carbon Quantum Dots for the Synthesis of Diverse Pharmacophore Scaffolds via an Unusual Nanoaminocatalytic Route

Despite the fact that carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have significant catalytic potential, only emblematic applications that rely on simple acid-base or hydrogen-bonding activation pathways have been reported. In this study, natural amine-targeted CQDs (NAT-CQDs) have been successfully fabricated using a sustainable technique that harnesses a renewable green source. Based on a holistic sustainable assessment, the present approach for the synthesis of NAT-CQDs surpasses previously reported methods in terms of estimated circular and good-manufacturing-practice metrics. A set of spectroscopic and analytical techniques, including FTIR, XPS, conductometric assay, pH titration, 19FNMR, and 13CNMR confirms the presence of the assessable amino-rich groups (0.0083N) at the surface of NAT-CQDs. The occurrence of surface amine groups unlocked the molecular behavior of as-prepared NAT-CQDs and makes them an unprecedented nanoaminocatalytic platform for the synthesis of diverse pharmacophore scaffolds (>40 examples) via a one-pot Knoevenagel/(aza) Michael addition reaction in water at room temperature. The assessable amine group can covalently activate carbonyl groups through nucleophilic iminium activation modes in water and facilitate the ability to build valuable and therapeutic scaffolds on a gram scale. By transferring significant molecular primacy at the frontier of nanoscale materials, NAT-CQDs can thus bridge the gap between the nanoscale and molecular domains. This protocol can also be applied for the preparation of therapeutic anticoagulant drugs, warfarin, and coumachlor. All the reactions exhibited a high atom economy, low E-factor, low process mass intensity (PMI), high reaction mass efficiency (RME), high carbon efficiency (CE), and high catalyst reusability with overall high sustainable values. NAT-CQDs show high recyclability, and the spectral data of reused catalysts indicate that the NAT-CQDs maintained their surface chemistry and electronic properties, suggesting their stability under the tested conditions. This study presents a remarkable instance of NAT-CQDs showcasing covalent catalysis. Expanding on the aforementioned design concept, the utilization of NAT-CQDs' "potential" as distinct colloidal organocatalysts in aqueous environments at the molecular level introduces valuable prospects for aminocatalytic pathways.