Magnetically Reusable Fe3O4‐CuO Nanoparticles as Catalyst for the Synthesis of Aryl‐Substituted Fluorescent Pyrazines for Fe Sensing and Ink Applications

Abstract

AbstractThe synthesis of substituted pyrazines from readily available methyl aryl/heteroaryl ketones and 1,2‐diamines was achieved using highly stable and reusable ferrite‐stabilized copper nanoparticles (Fe3O4‐CuO) as a catalyst. The reaction proceeds through a cascade imine formation–oxidative cyclization method under an oxygen atmosphere. The nanocatalysts were readily recovered and reused up to three consecutive cycles without any significant decrease in particle size, catalytic activity and reaction yield, as evidenced by analytical techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD). The synthesized pyrazines exhibited photophysical behaviour, displayed large Stokes shifts, and were explored as fluorescent probes for the sensitive as well as selective “turn‐off” detection of iron with a limit of detection of 0.63 μM. The sensing method is also useful for the quantification of iron in spiked water samples. Furthermore, the application of luminescent pyrazines as fluorescent ink was successfully demonstrated.