Designing the synthesis of catalytically active Ti-β by using various new templates in the presence of fluoride anion

Crystallization of large-pore Ti-β by using a variety of diquaternary ammonium derivatives of dibromoalkane and amines such as triethylamine, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane (DABCO), and quinuclidine as structure-directing agents (SDA) is described. The size of hydrophobic bridging alkyl-chain length of the template [R(3)N(+)-(CH(2))(x)-N(+)R(3)](OH(-))(2) directs the final crystalline product: Ti-β, Ti-ZSM-12, Ti-nonasil or Ti-ZSM-5, as x gradually changes from 6 to 1, in the fluoride medium under hydrothermal conditions. A dense phase such as Ti-nonasil (clathrasil type) is crystallized as the size of hydrophobic bridging alkyl-chain length decreases. The use of F(-) anions as a mineralizer and Ti(4+) as a heteroatom in the synthesis gel also influences the selectivity of final crystalline product. The phase purity and incorporation of Ti(4+) into the lattice of β (BEA) and ZSM-12 frameworks are confirmed using XRD, UV-visible, FT-IR, (29)Si NMR spectroscopes, elemental analysis (ICP), surface area measurements and catalytic test reactions. The morphology of Ti-β samples is dependent on the nature of the structure-directing agent as revealed by the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations. The catalytic activity in the epoxidation of 4-vinyl-1-cyclohexene is increased with the amount of tetrahedral Ti(4+) atoms in the framework. The new templates can be effectively used for preparation of catalytically active Ti-β with the minimum number of framework defect sites.     

Novel synthesis of bifunctional catalysts with different microenvironments

Acid-base bifunctional activity governed by -NH(2) group's microenvironment is evident from two different catalysts scrutinized by interchanging the location of -SO(3)H/NH(2) groups on periodic mesoporous ethylenesilica. The hydrophobic local environment plays a significant role in one-pot deacetalization/nitroaldol condensation.     

Novel titania hollow nanospheres of size 28 ± 1 nm using soft-templates and their application for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries

We report a novel protocol to prepare titania hollow nanospheres of size about 28 ± 1 nm with micelles of asymmetric triblock copolymers. The hollow particles exhibit unique electrochemical properties in lithium ion rechargeable batteries such as high capacity, very low irreversible capacity loss, and high cycling performance.     

Conserved Domains,Conserved Residues,and Surface Cavities of C-reactive Protein (CRP)

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a highly conserved plasma protein belonging to pentraxins, a superfamily which has significant proinflammatory role. Therefore, CRP can be a good target for drug discovery to prevent disease pathogenesis, especially cardioprotection in acute myocardial infarction and neuroprotection in stroke. Hence, the knowledge of the structure of CRP is very important. In this paper, we have demonstrated three-dimensional structure, conserved domains, and surface structure of human CRP with the help of bioinformatics analysis. We have also depicted that evolutionary relationship of CRP exists among the different species. Simultaneously, WebLogo has been generated to know the more conserved part of this medically important protein.     

Naked eye detection of cadmium using inorganic–organic hybrid mesoporous material

A novel and low-cost optical sensor for the naked eye detection of Cd²⁺in aqueous media based on mesoporous silica containing 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) as a probe molecule anchored by N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (TMAC) was prepared. The effects of various factors such as pH, solvent volume, temperature, reaction time, amount of the material, and the presence of various ions were studied in order to optimize operating conditions. The detection was based on the color change of PAR from orange-yellow to purple as a result of complexation with Cd²⁺. The intensity of the Cd-PAR complex varies linearly with the Cd²⁺concentration, from zero to 1.78×10⁻⁷ mol dm⁻³. The detection and quantification limits for the method when determining Cd²⁺ were 1.75×10⁻⁸ and 5.77×10⁻⁸ mol dm⁻³, respectively, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. Good chemical stability of the material was observed for a period of five months. The developed sensor was applied to the analysis of various industrial effluents and tap water samples. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Sorption of radioactive strontium on a silica-titania mixed hydrous oxide gel

A silica-titania (Si–Ti) mixed hydroxide gel with Ti to Si mole ratio of 11 was prepared. Studies on the sorption of radiostrontium from alkaline solutions having various concentrations of sodium were carried out with Si–Ti. The distribution coefficient (K _d) of strontium decreased with increasing concentrations of sodium from 0.1 to 4.0 mol·dm^–3. The plot of logK _d versus log [Na⁺] gave a slope of –0.55 as against the theoretical value of –2.0. This suggests that some other paths in addition to the simple stoichiometric ion exchange is also existing for sorption. From pH titrations the pH_pzc of Si–Ti was found to be 4.22 coinciding nearly with the pH sorption edge. An attempt was made to correlate the sorption results with the surface characteristics of the sorbent. It was found that sorption is favored when the surface of the sorbent transforms into an anionic form. Sharp increase in the sorption of strontium was observed when the equilibrium pH was between 7 and 10. This behavior could be attributed to the abrupt increase in net negative charge on the surface of the sorbent.     

Optical sensor for the visual detection of mercury using mesoporous silica anchoring porphyrin moiety

A low cost, solid optical sensor for the rapid detection of low concentrations of Hg2+ in aqueous media was prepared by the monolayer functionalization of mesoporous silica with 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphinetetrasulfonic acid (TPPS), anchored by N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (TMAC). The detection is based on the color change of TPPS from orange to green as a result of the formation of a charge-transfer complex with Hg2+. The intensity of the charge-transfer band varies linearly with Hg2+ in the concentration range from zero to 2.5 x 10(-7) mol dm(-3). The lower detection limit observed for Hg2+ concentration is 1.75 x 10(-8) mol dm(-3). The material exhibits good chemical and mechanical stability, and did not show any degradation of TPPS for a period of eight months. The sensor was applied for the analysis of various environmental samples. The effects of pH, sample volume, reaction time, amount of material, and the presence of foreign ions on the detection method are discussed.