Molecular Hybridization of Benzimidazole and 1,3,4-Oxadiazole: Synthesis and Antioxidant Investigation

Sumeet Hema, Prabhu C. Jalihal, Manjunath S. katagi, B. P. Nandeshwarappa

The development of heterocyclic hybrids has emerged as an important strategy in medicinal chemistry for enhancing biological activity and pharmacological efficiency. A novel series of benzimidazole- 1,3,4-oxadiazole hybrid derivatives was designed and synthesized using a molecular hybridization approach to combine the biologically active benzimidazole and 1,3,4-oxadiazole scaffolds  for enhanced biological activity. Benzimidazole was synthesized from 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine using glacial acetic acid and 4N hydrochloric acid. A series of benzimidazole-substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles were synthesized through esterification with ethyl chloroacetate, followed by hydrazide formation using hydrazine hydrate and subsequent reaction with substituted aldehydes in the presence of dichloromethane and ceric ammonium nitrate. The synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and Mass spectral analyses, and their antioxidant activity was evaluated by in  vitro DPPH free radical scavenging assay using ascorbic acid as the standard. Among the synthesized compounds, MP-4, MP-6, MP-12 showed significant antioxidant activity, likely due to substituents groups on the aromatic ring. Structure-activity studies revealed that benzimidazole–1,3,4-oxadiazole hybridization enhances radical scavenging activity and pharmacological potential. This study demonstrates that benzimidazole–oxadiazole hybrids are promising antioxidant candidates and provides a basis for further medicinal chemistry research