PANI-Fe3O4@ZnO nanocomposite as magnetically recoverable organometallic nanocatalyst promoted synthesis of new Azo chromene dyes and evaluation of their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.

A new series of azo chromene dyes were synthesized via a facile cyclocondensation reaction of (E)-1,2-diphenyl-1-diazene and 4-aminocoumarin with 1:2 molar ratio catalyzed by the polyaniline-Fe3O4@ZnO nanocomposite (PANI-Fe3O4@ZnO). The salient features of this protocol lie in simple experimental procedure, moderate reaction conditions, and uses PANI-Fe3O4@ZnO nanocomposite as a magnetically separable heterogeneous catalyst. Two well-known methods were employed for assessing the antioxidant abilities of the target compounds, including free radical trapping of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), as well as ferric reducing antioxidant power assay. Also, several synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activities by employing the disk diffusion test on Gram-negative as well as Gram-positive bacteria.