The current research work presented the synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose–gelatin (CMC/GEL) blend and CMC/GEL/ZnO-Nps hydrogel films which were characterized by FT-IR and XRD, and applied to antibacterial and antioxidant activities for food preservation as well as for biomedical applications. ZnO-Nps were incorporated into the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and gelatin (GEL) film-forming solution by solution casting followed by sonication. Homogenous mixing of ZnO-Nps with CMC/GEL blend improved thermal stability, mechanical properties, and moisture content of the neat CMC/GEL films. Further, a significant improvement was observed in the antibacterial activity and antioxidant properties of CMC/GEL/ZnO films against two food pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Overall, CMC/GEL/ZnO films are eco-friendly and can be applied in sustainable food packaging materials.

Benzofurans have intrigued both pharmaceutical researchers and chemists owing to the medicinal usage of their derivatives against copious disease-causing agents (i.e., bacteria, viruses, and tumors). These heterocyclic scaffolds are pervasively encountered in a number of natural products and drugs. The ever-increasing utilization of benzofuran derivatives as pharmaceutical agents persuaded the chemists to devise novel and facile methodological approaches to assemble the biologically potent benzofuran nucleus. This review summarizes the current developments regarding the innovative synthetic routes and catalytic strategies to procure the synthesis of benzofuran heterocycles with their corresponding mechanistic details, reported by several research groups during 2021-2023.

Epoxides are oxygen containing three-membered heterocycles which can undergo ring opening reactions. These reactions have been significantly employed in the synthesis of alkaloids and terpenoids-based natural products.