Reverse micellar synthesis and properties of nanocrystalline GMR materials (LaMnO3, La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 and La0.67Ca0.33MnO3): Ramifications of size considerations

Nanoparticles of complex manganites (viz. LaMnO₃, La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ and La_0.67Ca{0.33}MnO₃) have been synthesized using the reverse micellar route. These manganites are prepared at 800‡C and the monophasic nature of all the oxides has been established by powder X-ray diffraction studies. TEM studies show an average grain size of 68, 80 and 50 nm for LaMnO₃, La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ and La_0.67Ca{0.33}MnO₃respectively. Ferromagnetic ordering is observed at around 250 K for LaMnO₃, 350 K for La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ and 200 K for La_0.67Ca{0.33}MnO₃. These Curie temperatures correspond well with those reported for bulk materials with similar composition.     

Semiquantitative determination of aromatic andα,β-unsaturated aldehydes by circular thin-layer chromatography

Summary A method for semiquantitative determination of aromatic and,-unsaturated aldehydes such as salicylaldehyde, anisaldehyde, vanillin, veratraldehyde, piperonal, cinnamaldehyde, furfural andp-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde by making circular spots of their isonicotinoyl hydrazones on chromatoplates with circular thin-layer Chromatographic apparatus and their comparison with sensitivity standards has been described. The accuracy is ± 5% and the method is rapid, simple and economical.

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Zusammenfassung Ein Verfahren zur semiquantitativen Bestimmung aromatischer und,-ungesättigter Aldehyde wie Salioylaldehyd, Anisaldehyd, Vanillin, Veratrumaldehyd, Piperonal, Zimtaldehyd, Furfural und p-Dimethylaminobenzaldehyd durch Dünnschicht-Ringchromatographie ihrer Isonikotinsäurehydrazone und Vergleich mit Standardchromatogrammen wurde beschrieben. Die Genauigkeit beträgt ±5%.

     

Aromatic polyether, -ketone, -sulfones as laminating resins. XII. Derivatives of 2,2′-diphenylethynyldiphenyl which cure by an intramolecular cyclization

Polymers made from 2,2′-diiododiphenyl-4,4′-dicarbonyl dichloride, diphenyl ether, and isophthaloyl chloride have been made and converted to the 2,2′-diphenylethynyl derivatives. Introduction of units of isophthaloyl chloride reduced the melting point of these polymers to about 200°C, and they could then be cured by heating. A good glass laminate was prepared and cured from one of the polymers.     

Semiquantitative determination of thiourea,thiocyanate, and sulfide by circular thin layer chromatography

Summary A method for semiquantitative determination of thiourea, thiocyanate, and sulfide is described. It involves making circular spots or rings on chromatoplates using the circular thin layer Chromatographic apparatus. The method is based on sensitivity and specificity of spot reactions and comparison of the color intensity of a circular spot with that of sensitivity standards. The accuracy of the method is ± 5% and the procedure is rapid, simple and economical.

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Zusammenfassung Ein Verfahren zur halbquantitativen Bestimmung von Thioharnstoff, Thiocyanat und Sulfid wurde beschrieben. Es beruht auf der chromatographischen Herstellung kreisförmiger Flecken oder Ringe auf Dünnschichtplatten. Mit empfindlichen und spezifischen Tüpfelreaktionen wurden die Flecken gefärbt und die Farbintensität mit Standardproben verglichen. Die Genauigkeit beträgt ± 5%.

     

Stable gaseous aziridinium ions

Gaseous protonated aziridine ions are produced at the threshold from β-phenoxyethylamine molecular ions. The evidence for this is collisional activation spectra, using various precursors (including labelled analogues) under electron impact and field ionization conditions. Partial conversion to the acyclic \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ {\rm CH}_{\rm 3} {\rm CH = }\mathop {\rm N}\limits^ + {\rm H}_{\rm 2} $\end{document} isomer occurs at higher electron energies and is rationalized by means of a potential energy surface constructed from energetic data.     

Circular thin-layer chromatography of aromatic andα,β-unsaturated aldehydes

Summary A simple method based on circular thin-layer chromatography is described for the separation of aromatic and,-unsaturated aldehydes as their isonicotinoyl hydrazones. The development of the chromatoplate is complete within 2 minutes.

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Zusammenfassung Aromatische und,-ungesättigte Aldehyde lassen sich durch ringförmige Dünnschichtchromatographie ihrer Isonikotinoylhydrazone trennen. Die Entwicklung der Dünnschichtplatten ist innerhalb 2 Minuten zu bewerkstelligen.

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Résumé On décrit une méthode simple fondée sur la chromatographie circulaire en couche mince pour séparer les aldéhydes aromatiques et, non saturés, sous forme de leurs hydrazones isonicotinoyles. Le développement de la chromatoplaque est complet en deux minutes.

     

Efficient Oxidation of Cyclohexane over Bulk Nickel Oxide under Mild Conditions

Nickel oxide powder was prepared by simple calcination of nickel nitrate hexahydrate at 500 °C for 5 h and used as a catalyst for the oxidation of cyclohexane to produce the cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol—KA oil. Molecular oxygen (O₂), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), t-butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP) and meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA) were evaluated as oxidizing agents under different conditions. m-CPBA exhibited higher catalytic activity compared to other oxidants. Using 1.5 equivalent of m-CPBA as an oxygen donor agent for 24 h at 70 °C, in acetonitrile as a solvent, NiO powder showed exceptional catalytic activity for the oxidation of cyclohexane to produce KA oil. Compared to different catalytic systems reported in the literature, for the first time, about 85% of cyclohexane was converted to products, with 99% KA oil selectivity, including around 87% and 13% selectivity toward cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol, respectively. The reusability of NiO catalyst was also investigated. During four successive cycles, the conversion of cyclohexane and the selectivity toward cyclohexanone were decreased progressively to 63% and 60%, respectively, while the selectivity toward cyclohexanol was increased gradually to 40%.     

Carnosic Acid Encapsulated in Albumin Nanoparticles Induces Apoptosis in Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cells

Carnosic acid (CA) is a natural phenolic compound with several biomedical actions. This work was performed to study the use of CA-loaded polymeric nanoparticles to improve the antitumor activity of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and colon cancer cells (Caco-2). CA was encapsulated in bovine serum albumin (BSA), chitosan (CH), and cellulose (CL) nanoparticles. The CA-loaded BSA nanoparticles (CA-BSA-NPs) revealed the most promising formula as it showed good loading capacity and the best release rate profile as the drug reached 80% after 10 h. The physicochemical characterization of the CA-BSA-NPs and empty carrier (BSA-NPs) was performed by the particle size distribution analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and zeta potential. The antitumor activity of the CA-BSA-NPs was evaluated by measuring cell viability, apoptosis rate, and gene expression of GCLC, COX-2, and BCL-2 in MCF-7 and Caco-2. The cytotoxicity assay (MTT) showed elevated antitumor activity of CA-BSA-NPs against MCF-7 and Caco-2 compared to free CA and BSA-NPs. Moreover, apoptosis test data showed an arrest of the Caco-2 cells at G₂/M (10.84%) and the MCF-7 cells at G2/M (4.73%) in the CA-BSA-NPs treatment. RT-PCR-based gene expression analysis showed an upregulation of the GCLC gene and downregulation of the BCL-2 and COX-2 genes in cells treated with CA-BSA-NPs compared to untreated cells. In conclusion, CA-BSA-NPs has been introduced as a promising formula for treating breast and colorectal cancer.     

Ziziphus nummularia: A Comprehensive Review of Its Phytochemical Constituents and Pharmacological Properties

Ziziphus nummularia, a small bush of the Rhamnaceae family, has been widely used in traditional folk medicine, is rich in bioactive molecules, and has many reported pharmacological and therapeutic properties. Objective: To gather the current knowledge related to the medicinal characteristics of Z. nummularia. Specifically, its phytochemical contents and pharmacological activities in the treatment of various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, are discussed. Methods: Major scientific literature databases, including PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Chemical Abstracts, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Abstracts, Henriette’s Herbal Homepage, Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, were searched to retrieve articles related to the review subject. General web searches using Google and Google scholar were also utilized. The search period covered articles published between 1980 and the end of October 2021.The search used the keywords ‘Ziziphus nummularia’, AND (‘phytochemical content’, ‘pharmacological properties, or activities, or effects, or roles’, ‘anti-inflammatory’, ‘anti-drought’, ‘anti-thermal’, ‘anthelmintic’, ‘antidiabetic’,’ anticancer’, ‘anticholinesterase’, ‘antimicrobial’, ‘sedative’, ‘antipyretic’, ‘analgesic’, or ‘gastrointestinal’). Results: This plant is rich in characteristic alkaloids, especially cyclopeptide alkaloids such as nummularine-M. Other phytochemicals, including flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, tannins, and phenolic compounds, are also present. These phytochemicals are responsible for the reported pharmacological properties of Z. nummularia, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, antidiabetic, anticancer, analgesic, and gastrointestinal activities. In addition, Z. nummularia has anti-drought and anti-thermal characteristics. Conclusion: Research into the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Z. nummularia has demonstrated that this plant is a rich source of novel bioactive compounds. So far, Z. nummularia has shown a varied pharmacological profile (antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective), warranting further research to uncover the therapeutic potential of the bioactives of this plant. Taken together, Z. nummularia may represent a new potential target for the discovery of new drug leads.     

Exogenous Application of Green Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) to Improve the Germination,Physiochemical, and Yield Parameters of Wheat Plants under Salinity Stress

Agriculture is the backbone of every developing country. Among various crops, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) belongs to the family Poaceae and is the most important staple food crop of various countries. Different biotic (viruses, bacteria and fungi) and abiotic stresses (water logging, drought and salinity) adversely affect the qualitative and quantitative attributes of wheat. Among these stresses, salinity stress is a very important limiting factor affecting the morphological, physiological, biochemical attributes and grain yield of wheat. This research work was carried out to evaluate the influence of phytosynthesized TiO₂ NPs on the germination, physiochemical, and yield attributes of wheat varieties in response to salinity. TiO₂ NPs were synthesized using TiO₂ salt and a Buddleja asiatica plant extract as a reducing and capping agent. Various concentrations of TiO₂ nanoparticles (20, 40, 60 and 80 mg/L) and salt solutions (NaCl) (100 and 150 mM) were used. A total of 20 mg/L and 40 mg/L improve germination attributes, osmotic and water potential, carotenoid, total phenolic, and flavonoid content, soluble sugar and proteins, proline and amino acid content, superoxide dismutase activity, and reduce malondialdhehyde (MDA) content at both levels of salinity. These two concentrations also improved the yield attributes of wheat varieties at both salinity levels. The best results were observed at 40 mg/L of TiO₂ NPs at both salinity levels. However, the highest concentrations (60 and 80 mg/L) of TiO₂ NPs showed negative effects on germination, physiochemical and yield characteristics and causes stress in both wheat varieties under control irrigation conditions and salinity stress. Therefore, in conclusion, the findings of this research are that the foliar application of TiO₂ NPs can help to improve tolerance against salinity stress in plants.