Synthesis and characterization of some novel cyanonitrosyl complexes of chromium(I) with Mannich bases,aromatic aldehyde oximes and syn-phenyl-2-pyridylketoxime

Some new low-spin hexacoordinated cyanonitrosyl complexes of Cr¹ of the type [Cr(NO)(CN)₂(L)₂(H₂)], where L is an aromatic aldehyde oxime or Mannich base, have been prepared by the interaction or K₃[Cr(NO)(CN)₅]· H₂O with L in aqueous AcOH, and characterized by a range of physico-chemical techniques, I.r. data suggest that all the oxime derivatives and Mannich bases act as monodentate ligands by coordinating through the aromatic nitrogen. TMC 2564     

Sulfated nanozirconia: an investigation on acid-base properties and n-butane isomerization activity

Hydrated zirconia was synthesized by an organo-inorganic route employing surfactant and was sulfated using aqueous ammonium persulfate, followed by drying at 110 degrees C. The sample thus obtained was calcined at 600 degrees C to obtain sulfated zirconia and was characterized by several physicochemical methods. Crystallite sizes of sulfated zirconia were calculated from X-ray line broadening using the Debye-Scherer equation and were found to be in the range of 25 nm. When pretreated in air, the catalyst was found to exhibit butane isomerization activity at a temperature as low as 35 degrees C under atmospheric pressure. It showed conversion as high as 37% at 100 degrees C under normal pressure when pretreated in air, whereas nitrogen-pretreated catalyst showed zero activity under similar conditions. NH(3) and CO(2) temperature-programmed desorption studies on air- and helium-pretreated samples indicated that the catalyst surface changes appreciably during air pretreatment. Results on butane isomerization in conjunction with TPD studies suggest that zirconium-oxy sites play an important role in butane activation during the reaction.     

Solution-based chemical synthesis of boehmite nanofibers and alumina nanorods

This article reports an easy chemical method of synthesizing boehmite nanofibers by a modified sol-gel process involving aluminum isopropoxide precursor. Nanorods of gamma-alumina have been successfully prepared after dehydration of the viscous sol at 600 degrees C for 4 h in air. The boehmite nanofibers and gamma-alumina nanorods were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for surface chemistry and functional groups, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy with selected area electron diffraction, and energy-dispersed spectroscopy for morphology and structure identification. The length of the boehmite nanofibers was found to be more than 10 mum with a crystalline lattice structure. The mechanism of formation of the boehmite nanofibers included the preferential growth along the longitudinal axis due to interaction between the solvent molecules and the surface OH- groups of hydrogen bonds. It is also suggested that the boehmite nanofibers may have formed due to the inherent instability of the planar structure of the boehmite lattice. The diameter of the gamma-alumina nanorods was found to be less than 10 nm with a varying length in the range of 50-200 nm. Boehmite to gamma-Al2O3 transformation was attributed to the loss of water molecules by internal condensation of protons and hydroxyl ions.     

Metabolic profile of glyburide in human liver microsomes using LC‐DAD‐Q‐TRAP‐MS/MS

The sulfonylurea urea drug glyburide (glibenclamide) is widely used for the treatment of diabetes milletus and gestational diabetes. In previous studies monohydroxylated metabolites were identified and characterized for glyburide in different species, but the metabolite owing to the loss of cyclohexyl ring was identified only in mouse. Glyburide upon incubation with hepatic microsomes resulted in 10 metabolites for human. The current study identifies new metabolites of glyburide along with the hydroxylated metabolites that were reported earlier. The newly identified drug metabolites are dihydroxylated metabolites, a metabolite owing to the loss of cyclohexyl ring and one owing to hydroxylation with dehydrogenation. Among the 10 identified metabolites, there were six monohydroxylated metabolites, one dihydroxylated metabolite, two metabolites owing to hydroxylation and dehydrogenation, and one metabolite owing to the loss of cyclohexyl ring. New metabolites of glyburide were identified and characterized using liquid chromatography–diode array detector–quadruple‐ion trap–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC‐DAD‐Q‐TRAP‐MS/MS). An enhanced mass scan–enhanced product ion scan with information‐dependent acquisition mode in a Q‐TRAP‐MS/MS system was used to characterize the metabolites. Liquid chromatography with diode array detection was used as a complimentary technique to confirm and identify the metabolites. Metabolites formed in higher amounts were detected in both diode array detection and mass spectrometry detection. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Dial-In” Emission from a Unique Flexible Material with Polarization Tuneable Spectral Intensity

The development of organic photoluminescent materials, which show promising roles as catalysts, sensors, organic light-emitting diodes, logic gates, etc., is a major demand and challenge for the global scientific community. In this context, a photoclick polymerization method is adopted for the growth of a unique photoluminescent three-dimensional (3D) polymer film, E, as a model system that shows emission tunability over the range 350–650 nm against the excitation range 295–425 nm. The DFT analysis of energy calculations and π-stacking supports the spectroscopic observations for the material exhibiting a broad range of emission owing to newly formed chromophoric units within the film. Full polarization spectroscopic Mueller matrix studies were employed to extract and quantify the molecular orientational order of both the ground (excitation) and excited (emission) state anisotropies through a set of newly defined parameters, namely the fluorescence diattenuation and fluorescence polarizance. The information contained in the recorded fluorescence Mueller matrix of the organic polymer material provided a useful way to control the spectral intensity of emission by using pre- and post-selection of polarization states. The observation was based on the assumption that the longer lifetime of the excited dipolar orientation is attributed to the compactness of the film.     

Regioselective synthesis of pyrano[3,2-f]quinoline and phenanthroline derivatives using molecular iodine

A series of polysubstituted pyrano[3,2-f]quinoline and phenanthroline derivatives have been synthesized by molecular iodine-catalyzed tandem reaction of various propargylic alcohols with or without substituted amines in excellent yields. Moreover, the cyclized side products are also pyrano[3,2-f]quinoline and phenanthroline derivatives.     

Hydrothermal processing of waste pine wood into industrially useful products

An ongoing major outbreak of mountain pine beetle in Western Canada has provided a clear opportunity to utilize waste pinewood as a source of renewable energy. Therefore hydrothermal processing of waste pinewood as a feedstock for bio-oil and biochar production using subcritical and supercritical water technology was carried out in semi-batch mode to investigate the effect of pressure (200–400 bar) and temperature (300–400 °C) on the yield and composition of bio-oil. The pinewood samples have very high cellulose and hemicellulose content but low ash content and are thus a formidable feedstock for bioenergy production. The optimum conditions for the hydrothermal processing of the pinewood in a tubular reactor were found to be 400 °C and 250 bars with respect to biochar and bio-oil yield based on the highest calorific value analysis. Detailed characterization of bio-oil and biochar was performed using GCMS, NMR, SEM, calorific value, and elemental analysis, respectively. The critical components of bio-oil were found to be phenols, methoxyphenols, hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), and vanillin, whereas as compared to the raw pine wood, the biochar was considerably lower H:C and O:C ratios than those of the unprocessed pinewood. The analyses of bio-oil by means of GCMS and ¹H NMR showed that it was mainly composed of heterocyclic compounds, phenols, aldehydes and acids.     

Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of the Leaf Essential Oil of Schefflera venulosa

Chemistry of Natural Compounds -