Sulfonated starch nanoparticles: An effective, heterogeneous and bio-based catalyst for synthesis of 14-aryl-14-H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenes

In recent years, biodegradable polymer based nanoparticles have attracted wide attention for the synthesis of high-performance and green catalytic species. Polymeric nanoparticles used for catalytic processes must be biocompatible and biodegradable. The objective of this study is to fabricate starch nanoparticles from native starch and preparation of sulfonated starch nanoparticles (HO3S-SNPs) as acidic nanocatalyst in the synthesis of 14-aryl-14-H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenes under solvent free conditions. This procedure has a lot of advantages such as very easy reaction conditions, low-cost production and natural catalyst and absence of any tedious workup or purification. The corresponding products have been obtained in excellent yields, high purity and short reaction times. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.