Isolation and structure of a new alkaloid from rauwolfia serpentina benth

A new dihydroindole alkaloid sandwicolidine has been isolated from Rauwolfia serpentina and its structure elucidated through chemical and spectroscopic studies.     

Effect of RuO2 in the shape selectivity of submicron-sized SnO2 structures

Several dissimilar types of tin oxide microstructures including bipyramids, cubes, and wires synthesized effectively by means of a simple approach were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry/differential thermometric analysis (TG-DTA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A possible growth mechanism is proposed using the results of these studies. The texture coefficient values of all the structures, indexed to a tetragonal lattice, exhibit amazing variation in the preferred orientation with respect to their shapes. Although XPS data indicate that wires and cubes have a strong SnO(2) type signal, bipyramids interestingly exhibit both SnO and SnO(2) signals and a correlation of the binding energy helps in understanding the growth kinetics of such submicron structures. The results suggest that the bipyramids are formed because of the vapor-solid process (VS) while wires and cubes are formed by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) progression.     

A New Irregular Trihydroxy Sesquiterpene from Teucrium mascatense

A new trihydroxy sesquiterpene, rel‐(1R,4aR,5S,6S,7S,8aR)‐decahydro‐6,8a‐dimethyl‐5‐(propan‐2‐yl)naphthalene‐1,6,7‐triol ( 1 ), has been isolated as a result of the phytochemical investigation on the CH₂Cl₂ extract of Teucrium mascatense. The structure elucidation of the new constituent was carried out by the combined use of 1D‐ (¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR) and 2D‐NMR (HMBC and HSQC) spectroscopic analysis, along with mass spectrometric techniques. In addition to the new constituent 1 , the known metabolite 2 , previously isolated from Crataegus pinnatifida, was also identified.     

Fabrication and Biological Assessment of Antidiabetic α-Mangostin Loaded Nanosponges: In Vitro,In Vivo,and In Silico Studies

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been a major health issue with increasing morbidity and mortality due to macrovascular and microvascular complications. The urgent need for improved methods to control hyperglycemic complications reiterates the development of innovative preventive and therapeutic treatment strategies. In this perspective, xanthone compounds in the pericarp of the mangosteen fruit, especially α-mangostin (MGN), have been recognized to restore damaged pancreatic β-cells for optimal insulin release. Therefore, taking advantage of the robust use of nanotechnology for targeted drug delivery, we herein report the preparation of MGN loaded nanosponges for anti-diabetic therapeutic applications. The nanosponges were prepared by quasi-emulsion solvent evaporation method. Physico-chemical characterization of formulated nanosponges with satisfactory outcomes was performed with Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Zeta potential, hydrodynamic diameter, entrapment efficiency, drug release properties, and stability studies at stress conditions were also tested. Molecular docking analysis revealed significant interactions of α-glucosidase and MGN in a protein-ligand complex. The maximum inhibition by nanosponges against α-glucosidase was observed to be 0.9352 ± 0.0856 µM, 3.11-fold higher than acarbose. In vivo studies were conducted on diabetic rats and plasma glucose levels were estimated by HPLC. Collectively, our findings suggest that MGN-loaded nanosponges may be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes since they prolong the antidiabetic response in plasma and improve patient compliance by slowly releasing MGN and requiring less frequent doses, respectively.     

Synthesizing PET and food waste into refuse plastic fuel (RPF): optimization and kinetic modeling

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - With rapid urbanization and industrialization, cheap energy supply from fossil fuels has become a problem of great extent, due to the rising fuel...     

Insight into the magnetic behavior of Sr2IrO4: A spontaneous magnetization study

Sr₂IrO₄ is a weak ferromagnet where the spin arrangement is canted anti-ferromagnetic (AF). Moreover, the spin-structure coupling plays an important role in magnetic behavior of Sr₂IrO₄. In this concern the magnetization under zero applied field i.e. spontaneous magnetization would be interesting to study and would give insight into the novel magnetic behavior of Sr₂IrO₄. Sophisticated techniques like neutron diffraction, μSR etc has been used to understand the magnetic behavior of Sr₂IrO₄ under zero applied field. To understand the magnetic behavior we have performed field and temperature dependent magnetization study. The measured field and temperature dependent magnetic data is analyzed rigorously. We have attempted to understand the temperature dependance of spontaneous magnetization, remanent magnetization and coercive force. We observe that the spontaneous magnetization extracted from Arrott plot shows that the Sr₂IrO₄ is not an ideal ferromagnet. The temperature dependent coercive field follows Guant's model of strong domain wall pinning. Our investigation explicit the temperature dependence of various magnetic properties shows the magnetic transitions from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase with $T_c$ around 225 K and a low temperature evolution of magnetic moment around $T_M～90$ K.     

Role of calcination on geopolymerization of lateritic clay by alkali treatment

In the present study, the role of calcination of a low iron lateritic clay sample was investigated to synthesize the geopolymer. The analyses like X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy for chemical composition, X-ray diffractometry (XRD) for mineral composition, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy & scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for structural changes upon calcination at 500, 700 and, 900 °C were used to assess the suitability of selected lateritic clay sample for geopolymer. The drop in electrical conductivity and greater consumption of calcium hydroxide by CS-900 confirmed its potential reactivity than CS-700, CS-500, and CS-Control. The quality of geopolymer derived from un-calcined and calcined lateritic clay samples by alkali activation was evaluated by comparing results of compressive strength, water absorption test, and stability in the aggressive environment of chloride, FT-IR, XRD, and SEM analyses. The experimental results reveal that the quality of geopolymer enhances as the calcination temperature of the lateritic clay sample increases, However, calcination of the lateritic clay sample at 900 °C gives significant results and yield good quality geopolymer with 24.8 MPa of compressive strength, 7.07% of water absorption and 2.22% loss in mass in an aggressive environment.     

On the Erdös–Lax inequality concerning polynomials

Let $P(z)$ be a polynomial of degree n and for any complex number α, let $D_{\alpha }P(z):=nP(z)+(\alpha ?z)P^{\prime }(z)$ denote the polar derivative of $P(z)$ with respect to α. In this paper, we present an integral inequality for the polar derivative of a polynomial. Our theorem includes as special cases several interesting generalisations and refinements of Erdöx–Lax theorem.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of Spiroindenes by Enol‐Directed Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed CH Functionalization and Spiroannulation

Chiral cyclopentadienyl rhodium complexes promote highly enantioselective enol‐directed C(sp²)‐H functionalization and oxidative annulation with alkynes to give spiroindenes containing all‐carbon quaternary stereocenters. High selectivity between two possible directing groups, as well as control of the direction of rotation in the isomerization of an O‐bound rhodium enolate into the C‐bound isomer, appear to be critical for high enantiomeric excesses.     

Reclamation of Used Engine Oil

Used lubricating oil from vehicles was treated with various types of chemicals to be regenerated. It was found that used lubricating oil could be reclaimed with sulphuric acid, sodium hydroxide, sodium phosphate, ammonium sulphate and rosin. Viscosity and pour point of the reclaimed lubricating oil were improved with the additive methyl methacrylate. The reclaimed lubricating oil was characterized by four‐ball ma chine and it was found that wear scar diameter (WSD) has greatly been de creased with the reclamation. The results of atomic absorption spectrophotometer also show that wear metals have also been de creased to an appreciable amount in there claimed lubricating oil.