Montmorillonite KSF-Catalyzed Synthesis of 2,2′-(Arylmethylene)bis(3-hydroxy-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ones) for the Functionalization of MCM-41 Silica Nanoparticles

Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry - A green protocol has been developed for the preparation of 2,2′-(arylmethylene)bis(3-hydroxy-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ones) following the...     

Substitution of Sr2+ by Eu3+ in Bi-2201 ceramics,effects on structure and physical properties

In this paper, we report the effects of the substitution of Sr by Eu on the properties of Bi-2201 ceramics. Samples with nominal compositions of Bi₂Sr_2?xEu_xCuO_y (x = 0–0.4) are elaborated in air by solid state reaction. They are characterized by means of X ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), magnetic and resistivity measurements. The undoped sample (x = 0) is monophasic and its structure belongs to phase A. No trace of superconductivity is observed down to 2 K for this sample and the variation of resistivity with temperature shows a semiconducting behaviour. As Eu is added and for x ≥ 0.2, the samples convert totally to B or Raveau phase and become superconducting. The highest T_c, obtained from both magnetic and resistivity measurements, is observed for x = 0.3. In the normal state, all the samples exhibit a semiconducting character which decreases as well as resistivity when the Eu content increases. The refinement of cell parameters is done with considering the structural modulation. The study shows that the substitution of Sr²⁺ by Eu³⁺ leads to an increase of a and b parameters, while c decreases similarly to those of the La doped phases. The a axis component of the modulation is observed to be independent of Eu content, while the c axis one increases slightly as this content increases. The XRD analysis has also revealed that the limit solubility of the used Eu₂O₃ oxide is situated between x = 0.3 and 0.4 of Eu content. The SEM micrographs show that the undoped sample consists of poorly connected grains with a random distribution. A quite different microstructure is obtained for the doped samples. The grains are more connected and have a flat shape which is characteristic of the Bi-based superconductors.     

Effect of fluorine doping on phase formation and properties of Bi(Pb)-2223 ceramics

Superconducting ceramics of Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_yF_x (x = 0–0.6) are prepared in air by conventional solid state reaction and characterized. The study shows that the melting point of the samples decreases as fluorine content increases. As a consequence, the grain size increases with the doping level and for x = 0.6, the sample is completely deformed and presents a concave shape making impossible the measurements on it. The Vickers microhardness reaches its maximum for x = 0.2. The analysis of the X-ray diffraction results reveals that all the samples are composed of only Bi(Pb)-2212 and Bi(Pb)-2223 phases. The highest proportion of the high T_c phase (Bi(Pb)-2223) is also observed for x = 0.2 and is about 67.32%. The refinement of cell parameters is done by considering the structural modulation. The results show that the doping leads to a reduction of cell volume as well as the a axis component of modulation. From resistivity versus temperature measurements, it is shown that the doped phases exhibit higher onset critical transition temperatures than the undoped one. The residual resistivity increases with fluorine content suggesting that the doping introduces structural defects and disorder into the samples. The obtained critical current density at 77 K under zero magnetic field also increases with fluorine doping.     

The N-terminal His-tag affects the enantioselectivity of staphylococcal lipases: a monolayer study

In order to check the influence of the polyhistidine tag at the N-terminus of recombinant lipases, a comparative study on the interfacial properties of native and recombinant Staphylococcus simulans (SSL and rSSL) or Staphylococcus xylosus lipase (SXL and rSXL) was investigated using the monomolecular film technique. No phospholipase activity was detected with rSSL or rSXL when using different phospholipids spread as monomolecular films maintained at various surface pressures, suggesting that the His-tag in the N-terminus of the recombinant proteins, do not affect the substrate recognition. The critical surface pressure measured with monomolecular films of egg-PC was slightly lowered with the two recombinant proteins compared to the native SSL or SXL one. A kinetic study on the surface pressure dependency, stereoselectivity and regioselectivity of native and recombinant SSL or SXL was performed using three dicaprin isomers spread as monomolecular films at the air-water interface. Our results show clearly that the presence of polyhistidine tag at the N-terminus of SSL or SXL changes their stereo- and regioselectivity.     

Optimation of fluorine detection for biological and geological applications with a nuclear microprobe

A review of the nuclear reactions used to determine fluorine is presented. In order to optimize the detection of fluorine in biological or in geological samples, a comparison of the performances obtained with the three nuclear reactions¹⁹F(p, ₀)¹⁶O,¹⁹F(p, )¹⁶O,¹⁹F(p, p')¹⁹F was made. The last reaction was chosen for its sensitivity. The homogeneity of biological and geological standard samples, the linearity of the calibration curves, and the stability of fluorine under the beam were tested.     

Mesoporous cadmium sulfide nanoparticles derived from a new cadmium anthranilato complex: Characterization and induction of morphological abnormalities in pathogenic fungi

A cadmium complex of the general formula Cd(C₁₃H₉O₂NCl)₂(H₂O)₂ {C₁₃H₉O₂NCl = 2-(4-chlorophenylamino)benzoate} was synthesized and characterized regarding its CHN data, solution molar conductivity and spectroscopic (UV–Vis. and IR) properties. Cadmium sulfide nanoparticles (CdS NPs) were grown form the microcrystalline complex and thiourea via a hydrothermal route. The as-prepared NPs were assigned based on X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Brunauer – Emmett – Teller (BET) surface area measurements. The CdS absorption and emission spectra were also recorded that revealed an energy gap of 2.47 eV and large Stokes shift of 130 nm. For the as-prepared NPs, the measurements have also indicated a mesoporous structure and an average particle size of 20–28 nm associated with an average pore diameter of 11.21 nm. The as-synthesized CdS NPs acted as antifungal controlling agent against human and plant pathogenic fungi of serious environmental and health concerns. The NPs at concentration of 200 ppm inhibited several fungi with inhibition efficiency of 100% against Aspergillus ustus Au-28. The nanoparticles induced morphological abnormalities in fungal mycelia, conidia and vesicle. Additionally, they inhibited the conidia septum formation, accelerated the chlamydospores generation and enlarged the yeast cells.     

Biological Activities Evaluation of Enantiopure Isoxazolidine Derivatives: In Vitro,In Vivo and In Silico Studies

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - A series of enantiopure isoxazolidines (3a–c) were synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between a (−)-menthone-derived nitrone and various...     

Isothermal crystallization kinetic of ZnO thin films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering were annealed in nitrogen atmosphere at different temperatures ranging from 100 to 500 °C with a step of 100 °C; the annealing time was 6 h. In order to study the film’s crystallization kinetic, their structures were monitored by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis each hour. Variation in grain size, calculated from the XRD patterns, with annealing time and temperature, obeys the classical parabolic law of grain growth. Exponent n was found to be dependent on the annealing temperature; it ranged from 5.13 to 3.8 with increase in annealing temperature. From the obtained exponent n values we inferred that the grain growth mechanism is mainly governed by the atom jumping across the grain boundary. We have found that the grain growth is characterized by a low activation energy ranging from 22 to 24 kJ/mol.     

On the existence of positive solutions for semilinear elliptic equations with indefinite nonlinearities

In this paper, we study the existence of positive solutions for the semilinear elliptic problem