Cu(BDC) as a catalyst for rapid reduction of methyl orange: room temperature synthesis using recycled terephthalic acid

Terephthalic acid was recycled from waste PET bottles with a basic hydrolysis technique and characterized with UV and FTIR spectroscopy. Copper-based metal–organic framework Cu(BDC) was synthesized at room temperature without any additive; two different temperatures were chosen to activate the obtained material. Characterization studies were performed using XRD, N₂ physisorption, STEM and EDX. The obtained material was tested as a catalyst for the reduction of methyl orange with NaBH₄ in aqueous solutions. Thermal activation at 160 °C proved to be mandatory for catalytic activity; although higher temperature activation did not cause significant enhancement. Rapid dye removal was monitored by continuous photometry at λ _max. The results were quite satisfactory (about 85% removal in 5 min); even higher than the published results for precious metal (i.e., Au, Pt and Ag) nanoparticles. In an increased reaction scale, UV–visible spectra and mass spectrum were recorded to help elucidating the possible reaction mechanism. In addition, recycling experiment were performed in 100-ml scale without any kind of re-activation (washing or drying) to show the ability of Cu(BDC) as a stable catalyst for reductive dye removal (and probably similar reactions as well).     

Nanofibrous Tubular Membrane for Blood Hemodialysis

As the most important components of a hemodialysis device, nanofibrous membranes enjoy high interconnected porosity and specific surface area as well as excellect permeability. In this study, a tubular nanofibrous membrane of polysulfone nanofibers was produced via electrospinning method to remove urea and creatinine from urine and blood serums of dialysis patients. Nanofibrous membranes were electrospun at a concentration of 11.5 wt% of polysulfone (PS) and dimethylformamide (DMF)/tetrahydrofuran (THF) with a ratio of 70/30. The effects of the rotational speed of collectors, electrospinning duration, and inner diameter of the tubular nanofibrous membrane on the urea and creatinine removal efficiency of the tubular membrane were investigated through the hemodialysis simulation experiments. It was found that the tubular membrane with an inner diameter of 3 mm elecrospun at shorter duration with lower collecting speed had the highest urea and creatinine removal efficiency. The hemodialysis simulation experiment showed that the urea and creatinine removal efficiency of the tubular membrane with a diameter of 3 mm were 90.4 and 100%, respectively. Also, three patients’ blood serums were tested with the nanofibrous membrane. The results showed that the creatinine and urea removal rates were 93.2 and 90.3%, respectively.     

Enhanced enantioselective oxidation of olefins catalyzed by Mn-porphyrin immobilized on graphene oxide

An efficient enantioselective heterogeneous catalyst, GO-[Mn(TPyP)tart], was prepared by covalent attachment of Mn(III) complex of H₂TPyP via the propyl linkage to graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet and using chiral tartrate counter ion. The catalyst was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible (DR UV–Vis) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The graphene-supported Mn-porphyrin showed higher activity for the enantioselective epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins with molecular oxygen in the presence of isobutyraldehyde. It could be recovered easily and reused in asymmetric oxidation of styrene precursor in a five-step sequence without any considerable loss of its catalytic activity and selectivity. The obtained optically epoxide selectivities were achieved in 86% to 100%.     

A novel optical sensor for uranium determination

A metal ion indicator, Alizarin Red S, was tested for its potential use in uranium selective optode membrane. The water-soluble indicator was lipophilized in the form of an ion pair with tetraoctylammonium bromide, and subsequently immobilized on a triacetyl cellulose membrane. The membrane responds to uranium ions, giving a color change from yellow to violet in acetate buffer pH 5. This optode has a linear range of (1.70-18.7) × 10⁻⁵ M of UO₂²⁺ ions with a limit of detection of 5 × 10⁻⁶ M. The response time of optode was within 6 min depending on the concentration of UO₂²⁺ ions. The sensor can readily be regenerated with hydrochloric acid solution (0.01 M). The optode is fully reversible.     

Flow injection determination of cationic surfactants by using N-bromosuccinimide and N-chlorosuccinimide as new oxidizing agents for luminol chemiluminescence

Two highly sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) systems are described. The method is based on the CL generated during the oxidation of luminol by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) and N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) in alkaline medium. The emission intensity is reduced by the presence of some surfactants at concentrations lower than critical micelle concentration (cmc).A new, simple, rapid and selective flow injection CL method for the determination of cationic surfactants such as dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) is proposed. Their determinations are based on the reducing effect on the emission intensity of NBS-luminol and NCS-luminol chemiluminescent reactions. The effect of analytical and flow injection analysis (FIA) variables on these CL systems and on the determination of the cationic surfactants are discussed. The optimum parameters for the determination of cationic surfactants were studied and were found to be the following: luminol, 1×10⁻⁶ M; NBS and NCS both, 5×10⁻² M; NaOH, 5×10⁻² M and flow rate, 3.5 ml min⁻¹.     

Determination of selenium in water and soil by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry using solid reagents

A hydride generation method for the determination of traces of selenium at ng mL⁻¹ concentration ranges has been introduced using a solid mixture of tartaric acid and sodium tetrahydroborate. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) has been used as the detection system. Several parameters such as the ratio of tartaric acid to sodium tetrahydroborate, type and amount of acid, and the reaction temperature were optimized by using 640 ng mL⁻¹ (16 ng per 25 μL) of Se(IV) standard solution. The calibration curve was linear from 20 to 1200 ng mL⁻¹ (0.5-30 ng Se(IV) per 25 μL). The relative standard deviation (%R.S.D.) of the determination was 1.93% and the detection limit was 10.6 ng mL⁻¹ (265 pg per 25 μL) of Se(IV). The reliability of the method was checked using different types of environmental samples, such as several types of water, a sample of soil and also in a kind of calcium phosphate sample by standard addition method. For conversion of Se(VI) present in real samples to Se(IV), l-cysteine was added to NaBH₄ and tartaric acid mixture. The results showed good agreement between this method and other hydride generation techniques.     

Phase-dependent heat current of granular Josephson junction for different geometries

We theoretically investigate the phase-dependent heat transport of a temperature-biased granular Josephson junction in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. We illustrate the influence of geometry of the junction on the thermal current. The use of granular Josephson junction rather than bulk one makes significant changes in the heat current behavior. The heat current diffraction pattern of the rectangular, circular and annular geometries with no trapped fluxons demonstrates similar to the current of s-wave superconducting junction. By increasing the number of trapped fluxon, the pattern of current behaves such as d-wave superconducting junction. The feasibility of using granular superconductors, with different geometries, controlled by the magnetic field provides an appropriate tool to obtain the desired result for a specific application.     

Fe3O4@PEG core/shell nanoparticles as magnetic nanocatalyst for acetylation of amines and alcohols using ultrasound irradiations under solvent-free conditions

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Ultrasound irradiation was used to prepare one-pot Fe3O4@PEG core/shell nanostructure for the first time. The morphology, structure, and physicochemical...     

Determining the effect of centrifugal and electrical forces on the jet behaviors,the nanofiber structure,and morphology

The increasing demand for nanofibers production has led to the rapid growth of the usage of electro‐centrifugal spinning (ECS) systems especially in recent years. Besides the rapid developments, fabrication of novel fibrous materials with novel techniques is still under investigation. Polyvinylepyrrolidone (PVP) is one of the multifunctional materials, which has attracted scientific interests to be employed in a variety of advanced applications. The main objective of the present study was therefore to explore the effects of essential parameters involved in fabrication of PVP nanofibers via an ECS system. The effects of rotational speed (197‐4051 r/min) and applied voltage (0‐14 kV) on the structural and morphological properties of nanofibers were also investigated. Analyses of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were performed with Digimizer and SPSS16.0 software to characterize the diameter distribution of the nanofibers. The degree of crystallinity was evaluated by the X‐ray diffraction method. In order to explain the unexpected results, further investigations were performed on the motion of the jet and flow rate. The results showed that instead of nanofibers, microparticles were formed at lower voltages and rotational speeds. The increase in the applied voltage resulted in a decrease in the minimum rotational speed that is required to form continuous fluid jet. The bending instabilities were changed from whipping to spiraling at the voltages above 10 kV. This resulted in the minimum fiber diameter at a voltage between 6 and 10 kV. Moreover, the applied voltage slightly affected the degree of crystallinity. No significant change was observed in the degree of crystallinity by varying the rotational speed.     

Chemiluminescence of Aldehydes in Pyrogallol–NaOH System Using Polyaniline/Cu(I) as Catalyst

Journal of Analytical Chemistry - In this research, chemiluminescence (CL) of several aldehydes (such as oxalaldehyde, N-isovaleryl-3-amino-propanal as the bioluminescent earthworm luciferin,...