Room Temperature C-C Coupling Reactions: Ullmann Reaction Catalyzed by Novel Biocatalytic System of Trapa natans L./Copper Acetate and its Antidiabetic Activity

The fibrous root system of Trapa natans L. (Hei-kak-yeli) provides a great surface area for adsorption of metals. By taking advantage of phytoremediation ability of T. natans L., the biocatalyst was prepared by using T. natans L. with copper acetate. The prepared biocatalyst was employed for the greener approach in coupling reaction of derivatives of aryl chloride and aryl bromide (a classic Ullmann reaction). The synthesis of biaryl derivatives using biocatalyst undergoes at room temperature in the presence of DMF as solvent and KOH as base for 15-20 h with 76-92% overall yields. The optimum amount of biocatalyst used is about 20-40 mg (0.128-0.256 mmol of Cu) for complete conversion, thereby representing the lowest amount of catalyst used for a general catalytic Ullmann reaction. Moreover, given that copper complexes exhibit significant potential for antidiabetic properties, a copper-based biocatalyst was synthesized, and its antidiabetic activity was assessed. Promising result of antidiabetic property was obtained and the IC50 value was found to be 5.74809 ± 0.5185 µg/mL.