Synthesis,characterization and bio-activity of a bidentate NS Schiff base of S-allyldithiocarbazate and its divalent metal complexes: X-ray crystal structures of the free ligand and its nickel(II) complex

Transition metal complexes ML₂ (2–6) [where M = Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Pd(II) and HL = allyl-2-(4-benzyloxyphenylmethylene)hydrazine carbodithioate (1)] have been prepared by the reaction of the ligand with metal ions in 2:1 molar ratio and characterized by physicochemical techniques and spectroscopic methods. The crystal structures of the free ligand and its nickel(II) complex 2 have been determined by X-ray diffractometry. The ligand exists in its thione tautomeric form both in solution and in the solid state. In complex 2, square-planar coordination of nickel(II) was achieved by two chelating ligand moieties coordinating through the azomethine nitrogen and the deprotonated thione sulphur atom. Based on the crystal structures of analogous dithiocarbazate species, a square-planar geometry was assumed for the copper(II) and palladium(II) complexes, and a tetrahedral coordination sphere for the zinc(II) and cadmium(II) derivatives. The in vitro bactericidal activity suggests that the palladium(II) complex is strongly active against two bacteria. The cadmium(II) complex is moderately cytotoxic with an LC₅₀ value of 409 μg/ml, but less active than gallic acid, LC₅₀ = 78 μg/ml.     

Extractive Spectrophotometric Determination of Titanium in Silicate Rocks, Soils and Columbite–Tantalite Minerals

2,3-Dihydroxynaphthalene forms a strong chelate with titanium over the pH range 4 to 9. At pH 4–5, titanium is extracted into ethyl acetate along with iron, leaving behind V, Nb, Mo, and a host of elements present in complex matrices of rock samples. In the extract, titanium is easily separated from iron after raising the pH of the medium and re-extracting. The method is free from any interference. The sensitivity of the method is 3.2×10⁴ L·mol^–1cm^–1. The method has been applied to a number of diverse samples including rocks and minerals. The precision of the Ti method is excellent. This method has been compared with tiron, chromotropic acid, diantipyrilmethane (DAM) and other existing spectrophotometric methods used in the analysis of rocks, ores and minerals. The proposed method has definite advantages over most spectrophotometric methods in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility and simplicity.     

Studies on coordination chemistry of a nitrogen–sulfur donor ligand with lighter and heavier metal ions and biological activities of its complexes

Complexes of S-benzyldithiocarbazate (SBDTC) with lighter and heavier metals, viz., Cr^III, Fe^III, Sb^III, Zr^IV, Th^IV and U^VI have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, conductivity measurements, and spectral studies. The complexes: [Cr(SBDTCA)₃],^** [Fe(SBDTCA)₃], [Sb(SBDTCA)₃], [Sb(SBDTCA)₂Cl · H₂O], [Zr(O)(SBDTCA)₂ · H₂O], [Th(SBDTCA)(NO₃)₃ · H₂O)], and [U(O)₂(SBDTCA)₂] were all prepared in alkaline media. They were all hexa-coordinated with bidentate, uninegative chelation of the ligand. [Fe(SBDTCA)₃], [Sb(SBDTCA)₃] and [Sb(SBDTCA)₂Cl · H₂O] were strongly effective against bacteria giving clear inhibition zones with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus. The compounds showed poor antifungal activity. The antimony complexes were strongly cytotoxic against leukemic cells with CD₅₀ values of 3.2–6.7 g cm^–3 as compared to the CD₅₀ value of 14.5 g cm^–3 of the free SbCl₃ molecule.     

Optical and dielectric properties of isothermally crystallized nano-KNbO3 in Er3+-doped K2O–Nb2O5–SiO2 glasses

Precursor glass of composition 25K₂O–25Nb₂O₅–50SiO₂ (mol%) doped with Er₂O₃ (0.5 wt% in excess) was isothermally crystallized at 800 °C for 0–100 h to obtain transparent KNbO₃ nanostructured glass–ceramics. XRD, FESEM, TEM, FTIRRS, dielectric constant, refractive index, absorption and fluorescence measurements were carried out to analyze the morphology, dielectric, structure and optical properties of the glass–ceramics. The crystallite size of KNbO₃ estimated from XRD and TEM is found to vary in the range 7–23 nm. A steep rise in the dielectric constant of glass–ceramics with heat-treatment time reveals the formation of ferroelectric nanocrystalline KNbO₃ phase. The measured visible photoluminescence spectra have exhibited green emission transitions of ²H_11/2, ⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2 upon excitation at 377 nm (⁴I_15/2 → ⁴G_11/2) absorption band of Er³⁺ ions. The near infrared (NIR) emission transition ⁴I_13/2 → ⁴I_15/2 is detected around 1550 nm on excitation at 980 nm (⁴I_15/2 → ⁴I_11/2) of absorption bands of Er³⁺ ions. It is observed that photoluminescent intensity at 526 nm (²H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2), 550 nm (⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2) and 1550 nm (⁴I_13/2 → ⁴I_15/2) initially decrease and then gradually increase with increase in heat-treatment time. The measured lifetime (τ_f) of the ⁴I_13/2 → ⁴I_15/2 transition also possesses a similar trend. The measured absorption and fluorescence spectra reveal that the Er³⁺ ions gradually enter into the KNbO₃ nanocrystals.     

The role of ion-pairing in peak deformations in overloaded reversed-phase chromatography of peptides

The paper reports a study on the role of ion-pairing behind peak deformations, e.g. peak splitting and even peak disappearance, during the elution of a peptide at highly overloaded conditions in reversed-phase chromatography. Deformation of component peaks is not uncommon in chromatography. There are reports which discuss their occurrence, but mostly at analytical scale, while their occurrence is quite common also in the preparative scale, as in the case discussed in this work. This paper first describes the conditions leading to peak splitting and peak disappearance of an industrial peptide, then explains the plausible reasons behind such behaviour, and finally with experimental analysis demonstrates the role of ion-pairing in causing such behaviour.     

An extractive pellet fluorimetric determination of trace uranium in thorium rich samples

An extractive pellet fluorimetry determination of trace uranium in thorium rich samples has been developed. This is based upon a solvent extraction system which completely separates both the elements uranium and thorium from each other. Thorium as a neutral complex with 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene at pH 4–6 is extracted into ethylacetate and then uranium-2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene anionic complex is extracted into another batch of ethylacetate at pH 11–12 under the influence of a counter cation, cetyltrimethylammonium ion. This method has been applied for the determination of trace uranium in synthetic nuclear grade thorium oxide and thorium rich mineralized rock with high degree of accuracy and precision.     

Micelle mediated extraction of titanium and its ultra-trace determination in silicate rocks

A highly sensitive method for extractive spectrophotometric determination of titanium in silicate rocks is described. Titanium in the range 0-10 microg as TiO2 is extracted into benzene or toluene by the formation of a ternary complex of the metal with thiocyanate (SCN-) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTA) in the ratio 1:2:2. A deep yellowish-orange ternary complex thus formed is suitable for the determination of titanium at wavelength 421 nm. The optimum colour intensity of this ternary complex was attained when the complex was extracted from an aqueous solution having concentrations of thiocyanate and HCl, in the range, 1.5-2.5 and 1-5 mol L(-1), respectively. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of the extracted species were found to be 1.1-1.0x10(5) L mol(-1) cm(-1) and 0.47 ng cm(-2) (referred to titanium), respectively, at lambda(max) of 421 nm. Except Fe3+, Nb5+ and V5+, no interference was encountered in the estimation of titanium. While up to 10 mg L(-1) Nb and V did not interfere in the determination of titanium, the interference of Fe(3+) was eliminated by reducing it to Fe2+ using SnCl2 solution. The method is highly sensitive and selective. The results obtained for titanium estimation in a host of silicate rock samples have been found to be highly reproducible, accurate and favourably comparable with certified values of reference materials and those obtained from standard methods.     

Role of recycling in improving the performance of chromatographic solvent gradient purifications

With significant advancement in the upstream processing technology, downstream processing of large bio-molecules is becoming the bottle-neck in the production chain. To face this challenge, design and development of efficient separation processes has become crucial. As a step towards boosting the performance of a chromatographic separation process through improved design, we investigated the potential of recycling as a process option. The most important advantage of recycling is that it can be implemented in an existing batch system without any major investment and consultation. Although impure products are recycled in industries, it is done as additional batch, and only then, when the recoverable product is valuable enough to surpass the loss of productivity in running the additional batches. In our study, on the other hand, it was found that a well-designed recycle can not only improve the yield, but also the productivity of a multi-component purification. A series of multiobjective optimization studies were carried out on multi-component separation to comprehend the role of recycling with reference to an industrially relevant problem, i.e. the chromatographic purification step of the production process of calcitonin.     

Coordination chemistry and biological activity of two tridentate ONS and NNS Schiff bases derived from S-benzyldithiocarbazate

Two tridentate Schiff bases having ONS and NNS donor sequences were prepared by condensing S-benzyldithiocarbazate (NH₂NHCSSCH₂Ph) (SBDTC) with pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde and salicylaldehyde, respectively. Complexes of these ligands with Ni^II, Zn^II, Cr^III, Co^II, Cu^II, and Sn^II were studied and characterized by elemental analyses and various physico-chemical techniques. Ni^II, Cu^II, Zn^II and Sn^II complexes were four-coordinate while the Cr^III, Sr^III and Co^III complexes were six-coordinate. The ONS Schiff base was moderately active against leukemia, while its zinc, antimony and cobalt complexes were strongly active against leukemic cells with DC₅₀ = 0.35–5.00.     

Kinetics of base hydrolysis of trans-{Cr([15]aneN4)Cl2}+ ([15]aneN4 = 1,4,8,12-tetra-azacyclopentadecane)

Summary Reaction of CrCl₃(DMF)₃ with [15]aneN₄ (L; L = 1,4,8,12-tetra-azacyclopentadecane) gives the green trans-{Cr([15]-aneN ₄)Cl₂}Cl in high yield. The base hydrolysis kinetics of the cations [CrLCl₂]⁺ and [CrLCl(OH)] ⁺ have been investigated over a temperature range. For the dichloro complex, k _OH = 1.03 dm³ mol^–1 s^–1] at 25° C with H =30.4 kJmol^–1 and S _inf298 ^sup = -143 JK^–1 mol^–1. The substantial negative entropy of activation implies more association of water in the loss of Cl^– from the conjugate base in a D_CB mechanism. The kinetic parameters for the chlorohydroxo complex are k _OH = 1.9 × 10^–2dm³mol^–1 s^–1 at 25°C with H = 78.3kJmol^–1 and H _inf298 ^sup = -15 J K^–1 mol ^–1. The chlorohydroxo complex probably has the trans VI configuration with the chloride ligand on the same side of the equatorial plane as the four chiral sec-NH groups. The visible spectra of a variety of complexes trans-[Cr(L)XY] ⁿ⁺ (X = Y = Cl, OH, OH₂; X = Cl, Y = OH) have been determined.