2-(2-Bromoaryl)indoles react with 2-aminoazoles by microwave irradiation in DMF in the presence of a catalytic amount of CuI and a base to produce trinuclear N-fused hybrid scaffolds, benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]indolo[1,2-c]quinazolines and imidazo[1,2-a]indolo[1,2-c]quinazolines in moderate to good [a]

2‐(2‐bromoaryl)‐4,7‐dimethoxy‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazoles and (Z)‐2‐(2‐bromovinyl)‐4,7‐dimethoxy‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazoles react with 1,3‐diketones by microwave irradiation in DMF in the presence of a catalytic amount of recyclable Fe3O4@SiO2@MOF‐199 along with a base to give binuclear isoquinoline‐ and pyridine‐fused benzimidazoles, respectively. Treatment of such binuclear N‐fused hybrid scaffolds with ceric ammonium nitrate in acetonitrile/H2O or HBr/FeCl3 in H2O affords binuclear isoquinoline‐ and pyridine‐fused benzimidazole‐4,7‐diones in good to high yields.

Nickel nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via the reduction of nickel salt using ethylene glycol (EG) and sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as reducing agents. These nickel nanoparticles were then loaded on the supports as Ni-X (X = vanadium phosphorus oxides (VPO), TiO2, and ZnO) in high loading yield. The optical properties of these catalysts were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, the structure of Ni-X was studied by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), the distribution of Ni particles in X was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the specific surface area of Ni-X was evaluated by N2 adsorption isotherm analysis at 77 K. All results corroborated the loading process. Indeed, TEM image indicated that the nickel nanoparticles size is in the range of 14 ÷ 16 nm and fully loaded into X. The activities of these catalysts were performed on the hydrodechlorination of 3-chlorophenol in the presence of sodium hydroxide as base at atmospheric pressure and at RT. The results showed that Ni-X exhibited high activities up to 98% within 90 min in the case of Ni-ZnO catalyst.

Titanium oxides nanotubes (TNTs) were prepared by hydrothermal method and used as nano-support for nickel nanoparticles. Indeed, nickel nanoparticles supported TNTs (Ni-TNTs) were in situ synthesized from nickel salt and TNTs by chemical reduction method using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as reducing agent. The physio-chemical properties of Ni-TNTs nano-catalysts were fully characterized such as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that nickel salt was completely reduced to Ni0 metal with an average particle size of 12 nm. On the other hand, the catalytic activity is tested by the hydrodechlorination of chlorinated organic compounds. The hydrode-chlorinated conversion of 3-chlorophenol was obtained over 97%.

The Cover Feature shows a copper‐catalyzed construction of trinuclear N‐fused hybrid scaffolds, indole/benzimidazole/quinazoline and indole/imidazole/quinazoline, by the reaction of 2‐(2‐bromoaryl)indoles with 2‐aminoazoles under microwave irradiation. The reaction pathway seems to proceed via double C(sp2)‐N bond formation accompanied by ammonia evolution between 2‐(2‐bromoaryl)indoles and 2‐aminoazoles. The background picture is “The ARC” (Architecture of River Culture, a cultural center communicating with rivers), a remarkable architecture symbolizing the harmony of river and nature which looks similar to a microwave reactor, near Nakdong River in Daegu, Republic of Korea. More information can be found in the Full Paper by C. S. Cho et al.