Physicochemical properties of peanut protein isolate–glucomannan conjugates prepared by ultrasonic treatment

Peanut protein isolate (PPI) was glycated with glucomannan through classical heating or ultrasound treatment in this work. The physicochemical properties of PPI–glucomannan conjugates prepared by ultrasound treatment were compared to those prepared by classical heating. Compared with classical heating, ultrasound treatment could accelerate the graft reaction between PPI and glucomannan and improve the concentration of available free amino groups of PPI. Solubility and emulsifying properties of the conjugates obtained by ultrasound treatment were both improved as compared to those obtained by classical heating and native PPI. Decreases of lysine and arginine contents during the graft reaction indicated that these two amino acid residues attended the covalent linkage between PPI and glucomannan. Structural feature analyses suggested that conjugates obtained by ultrasound treatment had less α-helix, more β-structures and random coil, higher surface hydrophobicity and less compact tertiary structure as compared to those obtained by classical heating and native PPI.     

Efficient epoxidation of chalcones with urea-hydrogen peroxide under ultrasound irradiation

An efficient epoxidation of chalcones with urea-hydrogen peroxide (UHP) under ultrasound irradiation was carried out in 78–93% yields. Compared with the classical method, the advantages of protocol are to use a safer oxidant, mild conditions, no toxic solvent and shorter reaction time.     

A facile one-pot ultrasound assisted for an efficient synthesis of 1H-spiro[furo[3,4-b]pyridine-4,3′-indoline]-3-carbonitriles

A convenient one-pot protocol was developed for the synthesis of 1H-spiro[furo[3,4-b]pyridine-4,3′-indoline]-3-carbonitrile derivatives. This reaction was carried out through a three component condensation reaction of isatins, malononitrile, and anilinolactones in the presence of a catalytic amount of Et₃N as an inexpensive and available basic catalyst in THF under ultrasound irradiation. The products were obtained in high yields and short reaction times. The main advantage of this synthetic method is that the obtained products in ultrasonic irradiations are different from classical heating.     

An efficient and practical synthesis of 2,3-epoxyl-1,3-diaryl-1-propanone by combination of phase transfer catalyst and ultrasound irradiation

Synthesis of 2,3-epoxyl-1,3-diaryl-1-propanone via epoxidation of chalcone with aqueous sodium hypochlorite was carried out in 62-92% yields using benzyldimethyltetradecyl ammonium chloride as phase transfer catalyst under ultrasound irradiation. Compared to the classical method, the advantages of this method are a safer oxidant, mild conditions, no toxic solvent and shorter reaction time.     

An efficient ultrasound-promoted method for the one-pot synthesis of 7,10,11,12-tetrahydrobenzo[c]acridin-8(9H)-one derivatives

A new, efficient and general method for preparation of 7,10,11,12-tetrahydrobenzo[c]acridin-8(9H)-one derivatives using ultrasound irradiation is reported. Under ultrasound, the reaction time is short, the yields are high and the reaction conditions are mild.     

Aspects of ultrasonically assisted transesterification of various vegetable oils with methanol

The batch transesterification of vegetable oil with methanol, in the presence of potassium hydroxide as catalyst, by means of low frequency ultrasound (40 kHz) was studied with the aim of gaining more knowledge on intimate reaction mechanism. The concentration of fatty acid methyl esters, of mono-, di- and triglycerides of the actual reaction mixture were determined at short reaction time by HPLC. The effect of ultrasounds on the lipids transesterification correlated with triglyceride structures is discussed. It was found that under ultrasonic activation the rate-determining reaction switches from DG-->MG (classical mechanic agitation) to MG+ROH-->Gly+ME (ultrasonically driven transesterification).     

A facile synthesis of pyridazinone derivatives under ultrasonic irradiation

A new, efficient and general method for preparation of N-substituted-pyridazinones using ultrasound irradiation is reported. Under ultrasound the reaction time decreases substantially, the yields are high and the reaction conditions are mild. It was noticed that substituents at the 3-(6)-position of pyridazone heterocycle have a substantial influence on the reactivity, while the effect of the substituents at the 1-(2)-position seems to be of minor importance. A comparative study of the reactions performed under ultrasound conditions versus at room temperature has been done.     

Hyperbolic heat equations in laser generated ultrasound models

The generation of ultrasound by pulsed lasers is a thermoelastic process, and in the literature on general thermoelasticity there are presently three different forms of the heat equation in popular use, the classical, Lord-Schulman (LS), and Green-Lindsay (GL) heat equations. The question may thus arise as to which heat equation should be used to model laser generated ultrasound. The purpose of this work is to summarize the current rationale for using these different heat equations, in order to provide a basis for choosing one of the forms. A review of the classical, LS and GL theories is given, and the potential advantages of hyperbolic heat flow theories in laser ultrasonics are discussed. A numerical example is given that clearly shows the small time differences these theories predict, and also points out potential problems with using hyperbolic heat equations on small time scales.     

The ultrasonically induced reaction of benzoyl chloride with nitrobenzene: an unexpected sonochemical effect and a possible mechanism

A mixture of benzoyl chloride and nitrobenzene is not known to be chemically reactive, indeed the mixture is chemically inert when subjected individually to either ultrasonic irradiation or heating. However, if this system is initially subjected to ultrasound and then heated for several hours at 200 degrees C, a reaction does occur and the products are benzoic anhydride, hydrochloric acid, nitrous and nitric acid together with some minor products. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a reaction where the effect of ultrasound does not appear to be the consequence of the direct action of acoustic cavitation bubbles. A possible explanation of this behaviour is advanced which involves an electron transfer reaction in which nitrobenzene is first activated by ultrasound and then acts as oxidant in the thermal stage of reaction.     

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of chrysin derivatives linked with 1,2,3-triazoles by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between 7-(3-azidopropoxy)-5-hydroxyflavone and phenylacetylene was carried out to investigate the synthesis of 7-(3-(4-phenyl-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)propoxy)- 5-hydroxyflavone in presence of ultrasound (sono-synthesis) and absence of ultrasound (conventional method) under relatively optimized solvent and catalyst conditions. The reaction rate was notably accelerated with the help of ultrasound irradiation. An experiment was especially carried out for investigating the acceleration mechanism of ultrasound on the cycloaddition. A novel series of chrysin derivatives linked with 1,2,3-triazoles were obtained by the copper(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar Huisgen cycloaddition reaction using t-BuOH/H(2)O (1:1 v/v) as reaction solvents and CuSO(4)·5H(2)O/sodium ascorbate as the catalyst at room temperature in the presence of ultrasound irradiation. Their structures are elucidated by NMR, ESI MS, IR and Elemental analysis.     

Ultrasound-assisted Maillard reaction of ovalbumin/xylose: The enhancement of functional properties and its mechanism

This study aims to optimize the ultrasound treatment conditions for enhancing the degree of glycation (DG) of ovalbumin (OVA)-xylose conjugates through Maillard reaction and investigate the correlation between DG and functional properties affected by structural changes. The structural and functional properties of classical heating OVA, glycated OVA, ultrasonic treated OVA, and ultrasound-assisted glycated OVA were investigated to explore the interaction mechanism of ultrasound treatment on foaming and emulsifying properties improvement. Results indicated that the ultrasound assistance increased free sulfhydryl content, surface hydrophobicity and particle size of OVA-xylose conjugates, and thus enhancing the surface properties, which were strongly linear correlated with DG under different glycation parameters (pH, xylose/OVA ratio, heating time). Additionally, circular dichroism spectroscopy analysis revealed that ultrasound promoted the conversion of α-helices to β-sheets and unfolded structures, which was consistent with the formation of short amyloid-like aggregates that observed by atomic force microscopy phenomenon. Overall, our study provides new insights into the effects of ultrasound treatment on Maillard-induced protein functional properties enhancement, which may be a new strategy to tune the DG and functionality of protein-saccharide grafts during ultrasound processing.     

Dehydration reaction of hydroxenin monoacetate in carbon tetrachloride and an aliphatic alcohol under ultrasound irradiation

A new method for the preparation of an E/Z mixture of vitamin A acetate from hydroxenin monoacetate is described. This two-step reaction was studied by changing the reaction parameters (reaction temperature, ultrasound power, and reaction time) and the alcohol used. This approach consists of the dehydration reaction of hydroxenin monoacetate under ultrasound irradiation in CCl4 and an aliphatic alcohol under an inert atmosphere. The formation of small amounts of HCl from CCl4 and an aliphatic alcohol under ultrasound irradiation is followed by the dehydration reaction of hydroxenin monoacetate. An E/Z mixture of vitamin A acetate was obtained resulting in the desired pentaenes. Some ethers derivatives were also formed as by-products, isolated and characterized. Study of the reaction mechanism is also reported here.     

Power ultrasound in metal-assisted synthesis: From classical Barbier-like reactions to click chemistry

The search for more efficient and greener synthetic procedures to obtain highly functionalized chemical structures has always found in metal-assisted reactions a noteworthy strategy. All these reactions fall in the main domain of sonochemistry; in fact few techniques can compete with power ultrasound in so efficiently activating a metal surface, thus enhancing and accelerating its subsequent reaction with an organic substrate. Young researchers will certainly benefit from the rich literature and past experience of several pioneers who have, since the early eighties, laid the foundations of modern sonochemical synthetic protocols. Herein we provide a concise overview that describes how ultrasound acts in such a way as to make it a fundamental tool in improving the classical one-step coupling promoted by zero-valent metal species, usually referred to as Barbier-like reactions. From early hallmarks to recent accomplishments, especially the latest Cu-catalyzed alkyne-azide reaction (the so-called Click reaction), intended to be a universal ligation in chemistry and biology; we highlight the role and crucial effects of sonication on these processes.     

A novel approach for the quantitative kinetic study of reactions at solid/liquid interfaces in the presence of power ultrasound

A novel cell and procedure is described which permits the quantitative mechanistic study of ultrasonically enhanced reactions which occur at solid/liquid interfaces. A model of a controlled and calculable time-average rate of mass transport to and from the interface is used in order to compare experimental results with theoretical predictions based on mechanistic reaction schemes. In this way concentrations of mechanistically significant species near the interface can be related to those in bulk solution and hence the sonochemical effects of ultrasound dissected from those arising purely from mass transport. The effect of ultrasound is demonstrated for the reaction dissolution of p-chloranil in the presence of aqueous base and for the reaction of the same substrate with the aromatic amine, N,N-dimethyl-phenylenediamine, both systems which have been studied previously in the absence of ultrasound. Complementary atomic force microscopy images are also reported.     

Adaptive speckle reduction of ultrasound images based on maximum likelihood estimation

A method has been developed in this paper to gain effective speckle reduction in medical ultrasound images.To exploit full knowledge of the speckle distribution, here maximum likelihood was used to estimate speckle parameters corresponding to its statistical mode. Then the results were incorporated into the nonlinear anisotropic diffusion to achieve adaptive speckle reduction. Verified with simulated and ultrasound images,we show that this algorithm is capable of enhancing features of clinical interest and reduces speckle noise more efficiently than just applying classical filters. To avoid edge contribution, changes of contrast-to-noise ratio of different regions are also compared to investigate the performance of this approach.     

Structural characteristics and emulsifying properties of myofibrillar protein-dextran conjugates induced by ultrasound Maillard reaction

In this study, we investigated the effect of the ultrasound-assisted Maillard reaction on the structural and emulsifying properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) and dextran (DX) conjugates with different molecular weights (40, 70 and 150 kDa). Compared with classical heating, mild and moderate ultrasound-assisted methods (100–200 W) could accelerate the later stage of the Maillard reaction, which increased the degree of graft (DG) and the content of advanced Maillard reaction products (MPRs). Structural analysis revealed conjugates obtained by Maillard reaction induced the loss of ordered secondary structures (α-helix, β-sheets) and red-shift of maximum emission wavelength of intrinsic fluorescence spectrum. The conjugate containing 40 kDa DX exhibited higher extent of Maillard reaction compared to those containing 70 kDa and 150 kDa DX under various treating methods. Moreover, the ultrasound-assisted Maillard reaction could effectively improve the emulsifying behaviors. 100 W ultrasound-induced conjugates grafted by 70 kDa DX produced the smallest emulsion size with optimum storage stability. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and analytical centrifugal analyzer further confirmed MP grafted by 70 kDa DX with the assistance of 100 W ultrasound field could produce the smallest and most homogeneous MP-base emulsion with no flocculation. Our study demonstrated that mild ultrasound treatment resulted in well-controlled Maillard reaction, and the related glycoconjugate grafted with 70 kDa DX showed the greatest improvements in emulsifying ability and stability. These findings provided a theoretical foundation for the development of emulsion-based foods with excellent characteristics.     

Wave equations, dispersion relations, and van Hove singularities for applications of doublet mechanics to ultrasound propagation in bio- and nanomaterials

A fundamental mathematical framework for applications of Doublet Mechanics to ultrasound propagation in a discrete material is introduced. A multiscale wave equation, dispersion relation for longitudinal waves, and shear waves are derived. The van Hove singularities and corresponding highest frequency limits for the Mth-order wave equations of longitudinal and shear waves are determined for a widely used microbundle structure. Doublet Mechanics is applied to soft tissue and low-density polyethylene. The experimental dispersion data for soft tissue and low-density polyethylene are compared with results predicted by Doublet Mechanics and an attenuation model based on a Kramers-Kronig relation in classical continuum mechanics.     

Sonochemically synthesis of pyrazolones using reusable catalyst CuI nanoparticles that was prepared by sonication

A simple and green process to prepare copper iodide in nano scale via sonication was carried out. Subsequently, this nanoparticles was used as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of 2-aryl-5-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-3-pyrazolones via four-component reaction of hydrazine, ethyl acetoacetate, aldehyde and β-naphthol in water under ultrasound irradiation. The combinatorial synthesis was attained for this procedure with applying ultrasound irradiation while making use of water as green ambient. Simple work-up, excellent yield of products and short reaction times are some of the important features of this protocol. Notably, this catalyst could be recycled and reused for five times without noticeably decreasing the catalytic activity.     

Synergistic effects on iodine release in potassium iodide solution by combination of ultrasound and visible light irradiations

Iodine release in potassium iodide solution has been investigated under the irradiations of ultrasound and visible light respectively and simultaneously. We have observed that the amount of iodine liberated under the combined irradiation of ultrasound and visible light is larger than the sum of that under the respective irradiations of ultrasound and visible light, indicating a synergistic effect of ultrasound and visible light irradiations. Based on the investigation of the reaction kinetics of iodine liberated, we have ascribed the synergistic effect to the perfect stirring of the photochemical reactor induced by the applying simultaneous ultrasound. The ideal stirring can result in the homogenization of the primary light effect in the whole reaction medium, which induces the acceleration of the photochemical reaction. On behavior of our knowledge, there are few reports on the investigations of utilizing the combination of ultrasonic energy and light energy to accelerate the reaction yield and rate as well as the kinetics of the reaction.     

Facile sonochemical synthesis of nanosized InP and GaP

A novel sonochemical method for the preparation of MP (M = Ga, In) nanocrystalline materials has been developed. The procedure consists of the in situ synthesis of sodium phosphide and its subsequent reaction with the appropriate metal chloride using ultrasound. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). The choice of solvent and the use of high-power ultrasound are both important in the formation of the products.