Fruit juices act as biocatalysts in the efficient synthesis of potentially bioactive imidazoles.

An efficient and eco-friendly itinerary has been carried out for the synthesis of imidazole derivatives (3a–3h) from the reactions between substituted aldehydes (1a–1h), benzil (2a), and ammonium acetate (2b) in Citrus limon L. juice, Vitis vinifera L. juice, and Cocos nucifera L. juice. The purity of compounds was confirmed by their melting point and thin-layer chromatography. All synthesized compounds (3a–3h) were characterized by ¹H NMR, FTIR, and CHN analysis and tested for in vitro herbicidal activity against Raphanus sativus L. (Radish seeds). The compounds (3a–3h) were also evaluated for their antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides by the poisoned food technique. Antibacterial activity was also determined against Erwinia carotovora and Xanthomonas citri by the inhibition zone method. Activity data showed that compounds 3f and 3c were most active against Raphanus sativus L. (root) and Raphanus sativus L. (shoot), respectively. Compound 3d is most active against Rhizoctonia solani and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides fungus at highest concentrations. Compound 3b has shown the maximum inhibition zone, i.e., 2.10–7.10 mm against Erwinia carotovora at 2000 µg/mL concentration. Maximum Xanthomonas citrii growth was inhibited by compounds 3c, showing the inhibition zone 1.00–5.00 mm at highest concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]