Trichloroisocyanuric acid as a novel oxidizing agent for the oxidation of 1,3,5-trisubstituted pyrazolines under both heterogeneous and solvent free conditions

Trichloroisocyanuric acid is used as an effective oxidizing agent for the oxidation of 1,3,5-trisubstituted pyrazolines to their corresponding pyrazoles under both heterogeneous and also solvent free conditions with good yields at room temperature.     

Determination of δ‐[L‐α‐aminoadipyl]‐L‐cysteinyl‐D‐valine in cell extracts of Penicillium chrysogenum using ion pair‐RP‐UPLC‐MS/MS

δ‐[L ‐α‐Aminoadipyl]‐L ‐cysteinyl‐D ‐valine (ACV) is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis pathway of penicillins and cephalosporins. Therefore, the accurate quantification of ACV is relevant, e.g. for kinetic studies on the production of these β‐lactam antibiotics. However, accurate quantification of ACV is a challenge, because it is an active thiol compound which, upon exposure to air, can easily react with other thiol compounds to form oxidized disulfides. We have found that, during exposure to air, the oxidation of ACV occurs both in aqueous standard solutions as well as in biological samples. Qualitative and quantitative determinations of ACV and the oxidized dimer bis‐δ‐[L ‐α‐aminoadipyl]‐L ‐cysteinyl‐D ‐valine have been carried out using ion pair reversed‐phase ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography, hyphenated with tandem mass spectrometry (IP‐RP‐UPLC‐MS/MS) as the analytical platform. We show that by application of tris(2‐carboxy‐ethyl)phosphine hydrochloride (TCEP) as the reducing reagent, the total amount of ACV can be determined, while using maleimide as derivatizing reagent enables to quantify the free reduced form only.     

Selective oxidation of alcohols over nickel zirconium phosphate

Nickel zirconium phosphate nanoparticles were found to function as efficient catalysts for the selec-tive oxidation of a wide range of alcohols to their corresponding ketones and aldehydes using H2O2 as an oxidizing agent and without any organic solvents, phase transfer catalysts, or additives. The steric and electronic properties of various substrates had significant influence on the reaction con-ditions required to achieve acetylation. The results showed that this method can be applied for the chemoselective oxidation of benzyl alcohols in the presence of aliphatic alcohols. The catalyst used in the current study was characterized by ICP-OES, XRD, NH3-TPD, Py-FTIR, N2 adsorp-tion-desorption, SEM and TEM. These analyses revealed that the interlayer distance in the catalyst increased from 0.75 to 0.98 nm when Ni2+ was intercalated between the layers, whereas the crystal-linity of the material was reduced. The nanocatalyst could also be recovered and reused at least seven times without any discernible decrease in its catalytic activity. This new method for the oxi-dation of alcohols has several key advantages, including mild and environmentally friendly reaction conditions, short reaction time, excellent yields and a facile work-up.     

Corrosion and biological behavior of nanostructured 316L stainless steel processed by severe plastic deformation

Nanostructured metals have different mechanical, chemical, and physical behaviors in comparison with the microstructured ones. Numerous research studies demonstrated that the biological behavior of nanostructured metallic implants was improved significantly. Concerning the nanostructured metals, decreasing the corrosion rate and the releasing of hazardous ions from metallic implants, and thus increasing the biocompatibility of implants are due to improving the native oxide layer. In the present study, nanostructured 316L stainless steel (biomedical grade) was manufactured via equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) method. To do so, the 316L stainless steel (SS) was exposed to the ECAP operation for eight passes. The impact of the ECAP process on corrosion behavior of SS samples was evaluated through performing the electrochemical polarization corrosion tests in Ringer's solution. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to study the surface morphology of common SS and ECAPed SS sample after the electrochemical polarization tests. Moreover, the biological behavior of the samples was evaluated via cell culture using fibroblast cells. The corrosion test results revealed a substantial decrease of corrosion rate from 3.12 (coarse‐grained sample) to 0.42 μA cm^?2 (for nanostructured). Furthermore, the cell proliferation in the interface of nanostructured sample and cell culture medium enhanced dramatically compared with the coarse‐grained one. The much better biological behavior of nanostructured SS sample in comparison with the coarse‐grained one is mostly due to the significant decrease of corrosion rate on the surface of SS samples, and the presence of much more chrome oxide on the surface of SS sample. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Caesium carbonate supported on hydroxyapatite‐encapsulated Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanocrystallites as a novel magnetically basic catalyst for the one‐pot synthesis of pyrazolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐diones

A novel nanomagnetic basic catalyst of caesium carbonate supported on hydroxyapatite‐coated Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄@HAP‐Cs₂CO₃) was prepared. This new catalyst was fully characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry techniques, and then the catalytic activity of this catalyst was investigated in the synthesis of 1H‐pyrazolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐dione derivatives. Also, Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄@HAP‐Cs₂CO₃ could be reused at least five times without significant loss of activity and could be recovered easily by applying an external magnet. Thus, the developed nanomagnetic catalyst is potentially useful for the green and economic production of organic compounds. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Zn( L‐proline)2 as a powerful and reusable organometallic catalyst for the very fast synthesis of 2‐amino‐4H‐benzo[g]chromene derivatives under solvent‐free conditions

An efficient route for the synthesis of 2‐amino‐4H‐benzo[g]chromenes via a three‐component coupling reaction of aldehydes, malononitrile and 2‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthaquinone in the presence of Zn( L ‐proline)₂ is reported. High yields, short reaction times, non‐toxicity and recyclability of the catalyst, and easy work‐up are the main merits of this protocol. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Highly improved electrocatalytic behavior of sulfite at carbon ionic liquid electrode: application to the analysis of some real samples

The electrocatalytic oxidation of sulfite was investigated at carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE). This electrode is a very good alternative to previously described electrodes because the electrocatalytic effect is achieved without any electrode modification. Comparative experiments were carried out using carbon paste electrode (CPE) and glassy carbon electrode (GCE). At CILE, highly reproducible and well-defined cyclic voltammograms were obtained for sulfite with a peak potential of 0.55 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Sulfite oxidation at CILE does not result in deactivation of the electrode surface. The kinetic parameters for this irreversible heterogeneous electron transfer process were determined. Under optimal experimental conditions, the peak current response increased linearly with sulfite concentration over the range of 6-1000 μM. The detection limit of the method was 4 μM. The method was applied to the determination of sulfite in mineral water, grape juice and non-alcoholic beer samples.     

Meldrum's acid catalyzed reaction of tetracyanoethylene and aldehydes in water: a novel approach to arylidenemalononitrile

Meldrum's acid catalyzed the reaction of tetracyanoethylene with aromatic, heteroaromatic, and conjugated aldehydes led to arylidenemalononitrile in water in good yields at 80 degrees C. The work-up of reactions is very simple and the crude products are sufficiently pure to be used without further purification. The procedure provides an alternative method for the synthesis of arylidenemalononitrile.     

Novel isocyanide-based three-component synthesis of 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2-amine derivatives

Synthesis of a novel class of highly substituted 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2-amine derivatives including spirocyclic compounds from three-component condensation reaction of o-phenylenediamines, diverse carbonyl compounds, and isocyanides in the presence of a catalytic amount of p-toluenesulfonic acid in good to excellent yields at room temperature is described.     

Indirect determination of hexavalent chromium ion in complex matrices by adsorptive stripping voltammetry at a mercury electrode

A sensitive method for the determination of chromium ion(VI) in complex matrices such as crude oil and sludge is presented based on the decreasing effect of Cr(VI) on cathodic adsorptive stripping peak height of Cu-adenine complex. Under the optimum experimental conditions (pH 7.5 Britton-Robinson buffer, 5 × 10⁻⁵ M copper, 8 × 10⁻⁶ M adenine and accumulation potential −250 mV versus Ag/AgCl), a linear decrease of the peak current of Cu-adenine was observed, when the chromium(VI) concentration was increased from 5 μg L⁻¹ to 120 μg L⁻¹. Detection limit of 2 μg L⁻¹ was achieved for 120 s accumulation time. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D., %) were 1.8% and 4% for chromium(VI) concentrations of 18 μg L⁻¹ and 100 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of chromium(VI) in the presence of high levels of chromium(III), in various real samples such as crude oil, crude oil tank button sludge, waste water and tap water samples. Effects of foreign ions and surfactants on the voltammetric peak and the influences of instrumental and analytical parameters were investigated in detail. The accuracy of the results was checked by ICP and/or AA.