Benzoimidazolyl Organoseleniums: Antioxidant Activity and Catalysts for Selective Iodination of Arenes and Nitro-Michael Reaction

Here, the synthesis and catalytic activities of benzoimidazole-derived
organoselenium compounds have been explored. The synthesized bis(2-benzoimidazolyl)
diselenide, having increased Lewis acidity on the selenium center,
outperforms simple phenyl and N-phenyl benzamide-based
diselenides when compared for thiol peroxidase hydrogen peroxide decomposing
antioxidant activity with a reduction rate of 18.6 ± 1.9 μM/s.
The synthesized diselenide also acted as an efficient catalyst for
the activation of N-iodo-succinimide toward the regioselective,
monoiodination of electron-rich arenes and activation of nitro-alkene
for nitro-Michael reactions for the first time.