Sustainable chemistry: A solution to the textile industry in a developing world

With exponential increase in global population and innovations in chemistry during the past century, chemical production has grown enormously. The textile production, which started in the West, gradually moved to low cost developing countries. Inadequate legislation and control in these countries has led to the pollution of the natural water bodies there. The textile industry uses over 8000 chemicals in its supply chain and today faces the challenging demand to move towards cleaner production. NGOs have challenged the industry to achieve the goal of Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals across all pathways by 2020. The industry has taken strong initiatives to address this challenge. In the long term, sustainable chemistry will be the only solution and innovation is the key.     

Investigation of the flammability of different textile fabrics using micro-scale combustion calorimetry

Evaluating and analyzing the performance of flame retardant (FR) textiles are a critical part of research and development of new FR textiles products by the industry. The testing methods currently used in the industry have significant limitations. Most analytical and testing techniques are not able to measure heat release rate (HRR), the single most important parameter in evaluating the fire hazard of materials. It is difficult to measure HRR of textile fabrics using cone calorimetry because textile fabrics are dimensionally thin samples. The recently developed micro-scale combustion calorimetry (MCC) is able to measure the following flammability parameters for textile using milligram sample sizes: heat release capacity, HRR, temperature at peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat release and char yield. In this research, we applied MCC to evaluate the flammability of different textile fabrics including cotton, rayon, cellulose acetate, silk, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, acrylic fibers, Nomex and Kevlar. We also studied the cotton fabrics treated with different flame retardants. We found that MCC is able to differentiate small differences in flammability of textile materials treated with flame retardants. We were also be able to calculate the limiting oxygen index (LOI) using the thermal combustion properties of various textile samples measured by the MCC. The calculated LOI data have yielded good agreement with experimental LOI results. Thus, we conclude that MCC is an effective new analytical technique for measuring textile flammability and has great potentials in the research and development of new flame retardants for textiles.     

The value of natural products to future pharmaceutical discovery

Natural products have provided considerable value to the pharmaceutical industry over the past half century. In particular, the therapeutic areas of infectious diseases and oncology have benefited from numerous drug classes derived from natural product sources. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies have significantly decreased activities in natural product discovery during the past several years. Biotechnology companies working in the fields of combinatorial biosynthesis, genetic engineering and metagenomic approaches to identify novel natural product lead molecules have had limited success. Despite what appears to be a slow death of natural product discovery research, many new and interesting molecules with biological activity have been published in the past few years. If natural product materials continue to be tested for desirable therapeutic activities, we believe that significant progress in identifying new antibiotics, oncology therapeutics and other useful medicines will be made.     

ICP-OES determination of metals present in textile materials

The aim of this work was to quantify the content of elements present in textile materials since it is known that textiles containing metals may represent a health hazard to consumers. Determination of metal content can be also useful to the textile industry since some metals present in textiles may contribute to problems during textile production. Extraction of metals from different textile materials was performed in an artificial acidic sweat solution according to the Öko Tex standard for materials coming into direct contact with the skin. After extraction from textile products made of cotton, flax, wool, silk, viscose, and polyester materials, all elements were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Results in the sweat extracts (minimum-maximum in μg/mL) were: Al 0.11-1.58, Cd 0.02-0.05, Cr 0.01-0.32, Cu 0.05-1.95, Mn 0.01-2.17, and Ni 0.05-0.10. Concentrations of other elements were bellow detection limits. The total amount of metals present was determined after microwave assisted acidic digestion of textile materials with 7 M nitric acid. According to the results, the majority of the detected elements were below the concentration limits given by the Öko Tex, and for this reason the textile materials investigated do not represent a health hazard to consumers.     

Naturfarbstoffe: Farben mit Geschichte

Up to the introduction and industrial use of synthetic colouring materials, natural dyestuffs like woad, purple and madder were commonly used. Natural dyestuffs require different dyeing methods like vat‐, direct‐ or mordant‐dyeing. The fundamental principles of these methods are still in use in modern dyeing mills. The article gives an idea of cultural and historical connections during the development from textile handicraft to the first industrial organisation. By the example of madder the influence of mordants on colour is presented.     

Contaminated earth and water: a legacy of the synthetic dyestuffs industry

This paper demonstrates that the subject of the transport and fate of waste from the synthetic dye industry in far more than a footnote in history. It is actually a major chapter, encompassing both Europe and the United States. Indeed, in the 1990s there was as much interest in the history of the industry and its wastes among environmental litigators, particularly in the United States, as there was in the history of the dye industry among historians of chemistry. Review and analysis of various sources (ranging from expert reports, through early legislation, lobbying by and on behalf of the synthetic dyestuffs industry, methods of chemical detection and identification, and processes of waste handling and treatment) make it clear that much was known about the persistent and problematic nature of this waste. This included soil and groundwater contamination, as well as surface water pollution. There were considerable efforts to regulate manufacturers before 1890, but after that time the political and economic muscle of industry prevailed and prevented effective remedial action. Until the mid-twentieth century the industry effectively exerted its own destiny, self-regulatory and otherwise, even in the face of opposition.     

Mass spectrometry in India

This review emphasizes the mass spectrometry research being performed at academic and established research institutions in India. It consists of three main parts covering the work done in organic, atomic and biological mass spectrometry. The review reveals that the use of mass spectrometry techniques started in the middle of the 20th century and was applied to research in the fields of organic, nuclear, geographical and atomic chemistry. Later, with the advent of soft and atmospheric ionization techniques it has been applied to pharmaceutical and biological research. In due course, several research centers with advanced mass spectrometry facilities have been established for specific areas of research such as gas-phase ion chemistry, ion-molecule reactions, proscribed chemicals, pesticide residues, pharmacokinetics, protein/peptide chemistry, nuclear chemistry, geochronological studies, archeology, petroleum industry, proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics. Day-by-day the mass spectrometry centers/facilities in India have attracted young students for their doctoral research and other advanced research applications.     

Electrochemical identification of flavonoid dyes in solid work of art samples by abrasive voltammetry at paraffin-impregnated graphite electrodes

An electrochemical method for identifying flavonoid-type dyes in microsamples from works of art is reported. Square wave voltammograms of natural insoluble dyestuffs based on flavonoid structure dragoon's blood, weld, old fustic, gamboge, Brazilwood and logwood (Campeche wood) attached to paraffin-impregnated graphite electrodes in contact with 0.25 M HAc + 0.25 M NaAc aqueous buffer display characteristic peaks in the potential region between +0.85 and −0.85 V versus AgCl/Ag. Sequential experiments in contact with 0.05 M AlCl₃ and 0.05 M Na₂MoO₄ plus HAc/NaAc and 0.05 M H₃BO₃ + 0.10 M NaOH solutions also provide dye-characteristic signals allowing for an unambiguous identification of each one of the pigments. Individual pigments were satisfactorily identified in mixtures of pigments and real samples from textile pieces found in Castellfort (Valencian Region, Spain) attributed to the 15th century production of local textile workshops.     

Application of selected natural sources on mulberry silk fabric

Silk finds an important place for its elegance, softness, luster, sheen, strength, uniformity suitable for the production of respective valuable textile garments and apparels. Due to the amphoteric character of silk protein polymer, the overall behavior of silk will be enriched when it is applied with natural resources. Based on these considerations, it is proposed in this research work to treat mulberry silk fabric with recovered sericin protein in addition with natural finishing sources like aloevera, amla and nochi in varied combinations followed by coloration with some selected natural sources. After these applications, the silk fabric was undergone for some testing for the determination of color value, fastness behavior, tensile strength, absorbency character, anti-odor and retention aspects, and FTIR graphs. The outcome of the results are convinced to the expectations suitable for the applications in the textile industries for garment and apparel utilities.     

High-performance liquid chromatography and non-destructive three-dimensional fluorescence analysis of early synthetic dyes

Chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques are evaluated for the analysis of early synthetic dyes. The research focuses on the analysis of dyestuffs that were developed and used in the period 1850-1900, which has not been well investigated so far. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate techniques that can be applied in the field of culture and art. A selection of 65 synthetic dyestuffs was chosen to investigate the usefulness of the analytical techniques applied. As a case study three embroideries, designed by the well-known 19th century French painter Emile Bernard, were investigated to obtain more information about the use and behaviour of synthetic dyes.     

Adulation or Adulteration? Representing Chemical Dyes in the Victorian Media

This essay describes how the Victorian media reported on the transformation of coal tar into a synthetic palette of colours in the form of aniline and azo dyes. These dyes were the first of many new chemical substances including drugs, perfumes, and flavourings, which chemists began to synthesise and produce on an industrial scale from a waste product of the coal gas industry. Although intended for use in the textile industry, the new dyes soon began to be added to food, becoming one of the first examples of laboratory–created, industrially manufactured chemicals to permeate our daily life in unexpected ways. The essay describes how the initial media portrayal of the dyes as wonders of science became more nuanced as the risks as well as the benefits of the new dyes being used in textiles, and then subsequently in food, became better understood. By examining the media representation of new chemical substances, from their creation in the laboratory to their widespread use in consumer products, sometimes in ways not intended by their creators, my research provides an intriguing case study to add to the growing historiography of how science is represented in the press.     

A critical review of hazardous waste generation from textile industries and associated ecological impacts

Among many industries, the textile industry is the oldest industry of human civilization. Cloth is the second most important human need after food. Textile processing includes several steps in which wet processing is the most important. As wet processing involves an extensive amount of water and chemicals, an enormous volume of textile effluent generates during wet processing. Textile effluents is disposed of on bare land or on water bodies, which causes soil and water contamination. Improper disposal of textile effluents causes severe soil and water contamination. Textile effluents contain dyes, heavy metals, inorganic salts, surfactants, organic contaminants, oil, and grease. Textile effluents cause contamination in water bodies. The colour present in effluents hinders the photosynthesis of aquatic plants. Inorganic salts cause the degradation of water quality and soil excellence. Heavy metals enter the food chain and cause severe health impacts on human life. Various physical, chemical, bailogical and hybrid methods are used to treat textile effluents. Textile processing has been explained in brief in this study. The current research deals with different textile processing steps, various pollutants generated in textile processing and their ecotoxicity, various ecological crises associated with textile processing, and numerous treatment methods for the remediation of textile effluents.     

Impurity profiling of pharmaceuticals by thin-layer chromatography

Although there is a tendency in current pharmacopoeias for favouring HPLC, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is still a very popular and frequently used analytical method in the pharmaceutical industry. This paper highlights the possibilities of this method in the different areas of pharmaceutical analysis like in-process and intermediate control, illustrated by impurity testing of active ingredients and final products, as well as its application in pharmaceutical research and development, based on some examples reported mainly in the last five years.     

天然产物化学研究的挑战和机遇

本文论述了目前我国天然产物化学研究中所存在的问题以及面临的挑战和机遇,同时就如何促进我国天然产物的新结构、新功能及其合成化学等方面的原始性创新研究和相应的对策进行了评述。     

Characterisation of historical organic dyestuffs by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

This review discusses the characterisation of natural organic dyestuffs of historical interest by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The structures of the most important natural organic dyestuffs traditionally used are presented and discussed from the perspective of their analytical chemical determination. The practical aspects of the determination of this inhomogeneous range of compounds with different structures, such as anthraquinones, flavonoids, indigoids or tannins, are discussed with their implications for sample preparation, liquid chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection. The particular focus of this review is the discussion of the mass spectral fragmentation patterns of the different classes of natural organic dyestuffs, which in the ideal case allow the identification of the dyestuff actually used, and thereby provide a key to the better characterisation and understanding of historical objects dyed with natural organic dyestuffs. Figure LC-MS allows characterisation of natural dyestuff constituents: the MS spectrum of alizarin is superimposed over a photo of a textile coloured using this red dye     

Production and application of isotopes in China

The research, development and production of isotopes and their products have made great progress in the past years. A comprehensive nuclear industry has been established. At present, isotope-and radiation technology has been developed rapidly and applied extensively in many fields such as agriculture, industry and medicine in China. Some successful projects have generated considerable economical and social benefits. Organized efforts are being made to ensure continuing research and development of isotope and radiation technologies to meet the challenges and opportunities in the turn of the century.     

POLYMERS BEYOND THE YEAR 2000

At the turn of the century, the global polymer industry is undergoing the most rapid and dramatic changes in itshistory. Emerging markets, particularly in Asia, and their polymer consumption are catching up with other parts of the world,creating new business opportunities. Economy of scale, combined with optimized logistic concepts, is becoming a keyeconomic success factor, thus forcing smaller suppliers out of business and creating a major hurdle for newcomers and theintroduction of new products. Globalization of polymer customers and cost pressure lead to a consolidation of suppliers andproducts. Today standard thermoplastics have a dominant position in the market and they will retain this position in future.Engineering thermoplastics are facing growing competition due to the increased efficiency of standard polymers. This leadsto a displacement process where standard polymers substitute engineering thermoplastics. Simultaneously engineeringpolymers are pushing into new markets or applications or displacing materials like glass, wood or metal. The recent historyand future trends have a strong impact on R&D activity in the polymer industry. Competition on a global scale andincreasing cost pressure are turning innovation into an essential precondition of commercial success, thus determining theobjectives of industrial polymer research and development.     

The Silk Textile Embedded in Silk Fibroin Composite: Preparation and Properties

Silk reinforced silk-fibroin-based composites were prepared by embedding of silk textile into regenerated silk fibroin(RSF)matrix. The breaking stress and breaking strain of the composites were found 37.7 MPa and 71.1% respectively at(95 ± 5)% RH.Morphological analysis was carried out to observe fracture behavior of the samples. The in vitro biodegradation test showed that the composite degraded slowly and lost 70% weight at the end of 168 h. Moreover, compared with RSF pure film, the composite kept strength and toughness much longer time. In conclusion, this composite has the potential for more accurate cytology research and biomedical tests in the future.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Monoazo N‐Ester‐1,8‐Naphthalimide Disperse Dyestuffs

Five novel monoazo disperse dyestuffs based on N‐ester‐1,8‐naphthalimide were synthesized. Acenaphthene was nitrated, then oxidized to 4‐nitro‐1,8‐naphthalic anhydride. 4‐Nitro‐1,8‐naphthalic anhydride was reacted with methyl and ethyl glycinate in alcoholic media, followed with reduction. 4‐Amino‐N‐methyl and ethyl glycinate‐1,8‐naphthalimide were obtained. These products were diazotized and coupled with appropriate aromatic amines to give bluish‐red or violet dyestuffs. All intermediates and dyestuffs were purified and characterized by ¹H‐NMR, FTIR, DSC, UV‐VIS and Elemental Analysis. Dispersion of dyestuffs was prepared in water and applied to polyester fabrics. The dyed fabrics showed that four of the synthesized dyestuffs were suitable for coloring polyester fibers, producing deep bluish red with very good build up properties.     

Synthesis of 7‐Azido‐3‐Formylcoumarin – A Key Precursor in Bioorthogonally Applicable Fluorogenic Dye Synthesis

Coumarins represent an important group of natural products and a common part of various drugs and fluorescent dyestuffs. Herein, we present the synthesis of a coumarin that can serve as a key starting material in the design and synthesis of bioorthogonally applicable fluorogenic dyes. The synthesis of 7‐azido‐3‐formylcoumarin started from 7‐diallylaminocoumarin. This allyl protected aminocoumarin is otherwise hard to obtain by conventional methods but was conveniently accessed in good yields by a sequential, Wittig‐reaction–UV isomerization process. This sequential approach was studied in more details and applied for the synthesis of a series of substituted coumarins even in one‐pot.