Magnetic nanoparticles: Synthesis, stabilization, functionalization, characterization, and applications

This review focuses on the synthesis, protection, functionalization, characterization and with some applications of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The review begins with an overview on magnetic property and single domain particles. The synthetic strategies developed for the generation of MNPs, with a focus on particle formation mechanism and recent modifications made on the synthesis of monodisperse samples of relatively large quantities are also discussed. Then, different methodologies for the protection and functionalization of the synthesized MNPs, together with the characterization techniques are explained. Finally, some of the recent industrial, biological, environmental and analyticals application of MNPs are briefly reviewed, and some future trends and perspectives in these research areas will be outlined.     

Sorption of methane,ethane, propane,butane, carbon dioxide,and nitrogen on kerogen

Sorption isotherms of nitrogen, methane (in the pressure range of 0.1–40 MPa), ethane (0.1–3.7MPa), propane (0.01–1 MPa), butane (0.01–0.2 MPa), and carbon dioxide (0.1–6 MPa) are measured on two adsorbents with kerogen contents of 16 and 75% at temperatures of 303, 323, 343 K. Adsorption volumes are calculated for all adsorption systems using two independent methods. The BET technique is used to determine the surface area values of the two adsorbents on the basis of sorption data for ethane, propane, butane, and carbon dioxide. The initial and isosteric adheat of sorption values are calculated on the basis of sorption isotherms of ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide measured at three temperatures. It is found from comparing the dependences of isosteric heat of sorption on the two adsorbents that molecules of the above gases diffuse into its bulk (adsorbent 2) in addition to sorbing on the outside surface formed by kerogen molecules, while sorption of the same gases on the rock (adsorbent 1) is similar to sorption on a smooth hard adsorbent surface.     

Hydration forces: Observations, explanations, expectations, questions

The hydration force between large molecules or large surfaces is built on weak perturbation of many solvent molecules. The structure of the surface sets boundary conditions on solvent while structural forces within the solvent set the range. For this collection of essays, we focused on forces between surfaces at nanometer separations. It is instructive to distinguish primary hydration, the binding of water and perturbation within a few layers, from secondary hydration related to redistribution of solutes. The subject is still basically empirical, lacking satisfactory theory and sufficient measurement.     

Polarization consistent basis sets. VII. The elements K, Ca, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Br, and Kr

Polarization consistent basis sets, optimized for density functional calculations, are proposed for the elements K, Ca, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Br, and Kr. The basis set composition in terms of number of primitive functions and the contraction is defined based on energetic analyses of atoms and molecules along the lines used in previous work and on the performance for molecular systems. The performance for atomization energies and dipole moments is compared to other widely used basis sets, and it is shown that the new basis sets allow a systematic reduction of basis set errors and in general perform better than existing ones.     

Radioanalytical researches performed in the Continental Contamination Laboratory,CNEN, Casaccia Nuclear Center,Rome, Italy

A report is given on the various research activities concerning radioanalytical chemistry performed in the following fields; (a) radiochemistry; (b) non-nuclear methods; (c) instrumental neutron activation analysis; (d) computer analysis of γ-ray spectra. All these activities are carried on in the frame of two surveys extended to the whole Italian territory: the first one on the radioactive environmental contamination both of natural and of artificial origin; the second one on a number of non-radioactive trace elements, with a particular emphasis upon their presence, as contaminants, in the food-chain and upon their uptake by man.     

First-principles Density Functional Theory Elucidation of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on TM-promoted TiC2 (TM=Fe,Co, Ni,Cu, Ru,Rh, Pd,Ag, Os,Ir, Pt,and Au)

Single-atom-catalyst-based systems have been attractive by virtue of their desirable catalytic performance. Herein, the possibility of the 15 transition-metal (TM)-promoted (TM=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, and Hg) and their hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance were investigated on two-dimensional titanium carbides (TiC₂). It is found that the adsorption strength of TMs on TiC₂ is stronger than that of TMs on γ-graphyne and weaker than that of TMs on Ti₃C₂. Among the fifteen investigated catalysts, Ru−TiC₂, Ag−TiC₂, Ir−TiC₂, Au−TiC₂, and Fe−TiC₂ exhibits overpotential of −0.18, −0.15, −0.18, −0.17, and −0.04 V, respectively. In addition, the Volmer-Tafel step was preferred to the Volmer-Heyrovsky step on Fe−TiC₂. This work suggests that Fe−TiC₂ is possibly a superior HER electrocatalyst.     

Comparison of partial digestion procedures for determination of Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, and Zn in milk by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry

A fast procedure was developed for determination of Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, and Zn in milk samples. This procedure consisted of a partial digestion with hydrochloric acid on a hot plate. The results obtained were compared with 3 other digestion procedures (dry ashing and 2 microwave digestions). All the procedures showed similar precision levels, with coefficients of variation <10% for most analyzed elements. Accuracy was evaluated by using certified reference materials, and the values obtained were within the confidence intervals for these products. The results obtained were not considered statistically different. The partial digestion on a hot plate with HCl can be very practical for laboratories with relatively large numbers of sample analyses.     

Novel, customizable scoring functions, parameterized using N-PLS, for structure-based drug discovery

The ability to accurately predict biological affinity on the basis of in silico docking to a protein target remains a challenging goal in the CADD arena. Typically, "standard" scoring functions have been employed that use the calculated docking result and a set of empirical parameters to calculate a predicted binding affinity. To improve on this, we are exploring novel strategies for rapidly developing and tuning "customized" scoring functions tailored to a specific need. In the present work, three such customized scoring functions were developed using a set of 129 high-resolution protein-ligand crystal structures with measured Ki values. The functions were parametrized using N-PLS (N-way partial least squares), a multivariate technique well-known in the 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship field. A modest correlation between observed and calculated pKi values using a standard scoring function (r2 = 0.5) could be improved to 0.8 when a customized scoring function was applied. To mimic a more realistic scenario, a second scoring function was developed, not based on crystal structures but exclusively on several binding poses generated with the Flo+ docking program. Finally, a validation study was conducted by generating a third scoring function with 99 randomly selected complexes from the 129 as a training set and predicting pKi values for a test set that comprised the remaining 30 complexes. Training and test set r2 values were 0.77 and 0.78, respectively. These results indicate that, even without direct structural information, predictive customized scoring functions can be developed using N-PLS, and this approach holds significant potential as a general procedure for predicting binding affinity on the basis of in silico docking.     

Sorption of butane, propane, ethane, methane, and carbon dioxide on asphaltene

Isotherms of sorption of butane, propane, ethane, methane, and carbon dioxide on an asphaltene sample of known elemental composition were measured. The effect of the pressure and temperature on the shape the sorption isotherms for all the adsorption systems studied was examined. The values of the initial heat of sorption were determined and compared to the energies of interaction of the molecules with asphaltene. The results obtained suggest that asphaltene is a swellable amorphous sorbent.     

5,12-环氧-1,2,3,4,5,12-六氢-2-并四苯基甲基酮的合成研究

蒽环类抗生素是近年来颇受人们注意的抗肿瘤药物。其配糖体蒽环酮的化学合成也引起了有机化学工作者极大的兴趣。本工作报道了蒽环酮的重要前体——b,12-环氧-1,2,3,4,5,12-六氢-2-并四苯基甲基酮(1)的合成。 1是以2,3,5,6-四甲     

Dinuclear manganese,iron, chromium,and cobalt complexes derived from aroylhydrazone ligands: Synthetic strategies,crystal structures,and magnetic properties

Coordination clusters of 3d metals continue to attract the intense interest of the scientists from the synthetic inorganic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry and molecular magnetism communities. We review here the synthetic strategies employed in a continuous effort to obtain new and potentially magnetically interesting dinuclear molecules based on iron, manganese, chromium, and cobalt metal ions. The reported systems are pure homometallic 3d materials. We have focused on describing aspects of the synthesis, the crystal structures and the magnetic behaviour of these coordination compounds with low nuclearity. A deep solid-state and magnetic characterization of these systems has allowed us to gain evidence regarding the role played by weak exchange interactions and geometrical factors on the slow dynamics of the magnetization. In addition, the analysis through ab initio calculations has provided a valuable insight into the influence of organic periphery, bridging ligands, and remote substituents on the exchange coupling constant (J). In the case of a dinuclear complex based on manganese, the largest ferromagnetic interaction between two Mn^III has been observed (J = 19.7 cm⁻¹).     

The geometric, electronic, and magnetic properties of Ag5X+ (X = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) clusters

Density functional theory calculations are performed on small cationic transition metal doped silver clusters, Ag5X+ (X = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) using the B3LYP and BP86 functionals. Several two-dimensional and three-dimensional isomers with the dopant at a high coordinated site are found to be close in energy. The relative energy of the isomers is checked with CCSD(T). The interaction between the dopant 3d electrons and the host is discussed by considering the density of states and the shape of the molecular orbitals. A large local spin magnetic moment on the dopant atom is predicted.     

A study of aldehyde oxidation at glassy carbon,mercury, copper,silver, gold and nickel anodes

The rate, potential and mechanism of the anodic oxidation of aliphatic aldehydes have been found to be highly dependent on solution conditions and electrode material. Aldehyde oxidations in neutral acetonitrile on glassy carbon occur at very positive potentials (ca. +3 V vs. SCE) and the peak potentials correlate with the ionization potentials of the aldehydes. In aqueous base, aldehyde oxidation is assisted by reversible addition of hydroxide to the carbonyl group to form electroactive gem-diolate (II). Oxidations of aldehydes in aqueous base on Hg, Ni, Ag and Au all yield the corresponding carboxylate via two-electron oxidation plus aldol and Cannizzaro byproducts and the oxidations occur at potentials far negative of the unassisted oxidation in neutral acetonitrile. On Ni, Cu and possibly Hg the oxidation involves the formation of a metal oxide which acts as a chemical oxidizing agent. On Ag and Au the oxidations take place on a surface which is not covered by a phase oxide. A mechanism involving a direct electrochemical process with oxidation of gem-diolate adsorbed on an oxide-free metal surface is proposed. A pulsed electrolysis technique was utilized to circumvent deactivation of Ag and Au electrodes during electrolysis and preparation of an “aurized” gold surface with a much slower deactivation rate is described.     

Biosurfactants: Formulations,properties, and applications

In this review, we attempt to give an overview on the recent progress made on biosurfactants, surface-active biomolecules produced by microorganisms, which are a sustainable alternative to synthetic surfactants. Different biosurfactants, their production techniques, and their physical and chemical properties are discussed. There is a focus on recent studies related to surface properties and rheology of biosurfactants, both being properties which affect their ability to take part in a stable formulation. Biosurfactants can have applications in multiple different industrial sectors, such as agriculture, medicine, personal care, food, petroleum, etc. The specific properties important for applications in these sectors are discussed in detail.     

Open Chemistry,JupyterLab, REST,and quantum chemistry

Quantum chemistry must evolve if it wants to fully leverage the benefits of the internet age, where the worldwide web offers a vast tapestry of tools that enable users to communicate and interact with complex data at the speed and convenience of a button press. The Open Chemistry project has developed an open‐source framework that offers an end‐to‐end solution for producing, sharing, and visualizing quantum chemical data interactively on the web using an array of modern tools and approaches. These tools build on some of the best open‐source community projects such as Jupyter for interactive online notebooks, coupled with 3D accelerated visualization, state‐of‐the‐art computational chemistry codes including NWChem and Psi4, and emerging machine learning and data mining tools such as ChemML and ANI. They offer flexible formats to import and export data, along with approaches to compare computational and experimental data.     

Oral malodor,assessed by closed-loop,gas chromatography,and ion-trap technology

A method is described for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in saliva and tongue coating samples. The techniue is based on an off-line preconcentration step by means of a closed-loop trapping system followed by gas chromatography-ion trap detection. With the closed-loop technique, the volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are released from the matrix and trapped on an adsorbent without interference of water. The VOCs are released from the adsorbent into the gas chromatograph by thermdesorption. After separation, identification of the compounds is performed by ion trap technology. By this technique 82 compounds could be demonstrated in saliva and tongue coating samples. The technique is also used to demonstrate the formation of volatile bacterial fermentation compounds when a protein substrate is added to tongue coating samples. It is considered a very promising tool in further research on oral malodor.     

The separation and determination of nickel, chromium, cobalt, iron, titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium and tantalum in a high temperature alloy by anion-exchange

An anion-exchange method of separating the constituents in high temperature alloys has been devised. Nine elements including titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium and tantalum are determined in an alloy on a single sample weight. Any combination of the elements mentioned above may be determined in steels and high temperature alloys with a simple ion-exchange scheme suitable for routine analysis.     

Synthesis of Five-Membered N,N,N- and N,N,N,N-Heterocyclic Compounds: Applications of Microwaves

The development of new strategies for the synthesis of small-sized heterocycles has remained a highly attractive but challenging proposition. An overview of the application of microwave irradiation to the synthesis of five-membered heterocyclic compounds containing three and four nitrogen atoms is presented, focusing on the developments in the past 5–10 years. This contribution covers the literature concerning the total synthesis of N,N,N- and N,N,N,N-heterocycles. The literature data are summarized based on the size and type of cycles.     

Instrumental neutron activation determination of Pt,Ru, Ir,Sc, Cr,Fe, Co,La, Ce,Nd, Sm,Yb, Lu,Hf and Ta employing CIRUS reactor as a thermal neutron source

An accurate and simple method has been developed for the determination of Pt, Ru, Ir and other elements employing instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Nondestructive analysis has been carried out for the determination of these elements in different rock samples such as Dolerite, Dyke Dolerite, Country Basalt, Hyaloclastite, Trachyte, Ijolite, Spillite, Diorite and Lamprophyre from various locations like Daman, Tapti, Murud, Talasari, Ranala and Bassein in Maharashtra state. High flux provided by the CIRUS reactor (1×10¹³ n cm^?2s^?1) has been used for thermal neutron bombardment followed by radioassaying of the (n,γ) products on a HPGe detector coupled to a PC-based MCA unit.     

Zeise,Liebig, Jensen,Hückel,Dewar, and the Olefin π‐Complex Bonds

Zeise's salt, KPt(C₂H₄)Cl₃, was the first characterized organometallic compound; it was also the first olefin π‐complex. It was published in 1825–1830 in the middle of a fight between Dumas on the one hand and Berzelius and Liebig on the other, who defended the etherin (ethylene) and radical theories, respectively. Although Zeise's formulation as a compound containing ethylene was vindicated, the fight went on for many years. This was a time when the theories of organic chemistry were being developed, before any clear understanding of the nature of molecules, bonding, and structure. Zeise thought of the structure of his salt as a product of the addition of PtCl₂ to ethylene. Jensen assumed a central bonding to ethylene but needed theoretical assistance to explain it. His attempt to obtain such an explanation from Hückel failed, and it was Dewar who explained the nature of π‐complexes in molecular orbital terms in 1951.