Abstract
In this work, we are interested in finding new catalysts for catecholase, whose principle is based on the oxidation reaction of catechol to o-quinone. In this context, we have studied a series of seven quinoline-based compounds. The present work indicates that the complexes formed between seven selected quinoline compounds and the copper salts viz. Cu(OAc)(2), CuSO4, Cu(NO3)(2), and CuCl2 elicit catalytic activities for the oxidation of catechol to o-quinone. The complexes formed with the Cu(OAc)(2) salt show a much higher catalytic activity than the others, whereas the Cu(NO3)(2) and CuCl2 salts formed complexes with low catalytic activity. This study also shows that the oxidation rate depends on two factors, namely the chemical structure of the ligands and the nature of the ions coordinated with the copper.