Design and development of the 6–18 MeV electron beam system for medical and other applications

A system for the electron and photon therapy has been designed and developed at SAMEER, IITB, Mumbai. All the components of the system such as the 270° beam bending electromagnet, trim coils, magnet chamber, electron scattering foil, slits, applicators, etc., were designed and fabricated indigenously. The electrons of 6, 8, 9, 12, 15 and 18?MeV energies were provided by a linear accelerator, indigenously designed and made at SAMEER, IITB campus, Mumbai. The electron beam from the LINAC enters the magnet chamber horizontally, and after deflection and focusing in the 270° bending magnet, comes out of the exit port, and travels a straight path vertically down. After passing through the beryllium and tantalum scattering foils, the electron beam gets scattered and turns into a solid cone shape such that the diameter increases with the travel distance. The simulation results indicate that at the exit port of the 270° beam bending magnet, the electron beam has a divergence angle of ≤ 3?mrad and diameter ～2–3?mm, and remains constant over 6–18?MeV. Normally, 6–18?MeV electrons are used for the electron therapy of skin and malignant cancer near the skin surface. On a plane at a distance of 100?cm from the scattering foils, the size of the electron beam could be varied from 10?cm?×?10?cm to 25?cm?×?25?cm using suitable applicators and slits. Different types of applicators were therefore designed and fabricated to provide required beam profile and dose of electrons to a patient. The 6?MeV cyclic electron accelerator called Race-Track Microtron of S. P. Pune University, Pune, was extensively used for studying the performances of the scattering foils, electron beam uniformity and radiation dose measurement. Different types of thermoluminescent dosimetry dosimeters were developed to measure dose in the range of 1–10kGy.     

Synthesis of new ESIPT-fluorescein: photophysics of pH sensitivity and fluorescence

ESIPT-inspired benzimidazolyl substituted fluorescein dyes were synthesized. PH-sensitivity was determined by the photophysical property measured at a physiological possible pH range. Fluorescence quantum efficiency values were calculated independently at two different emissions. A rational relationship is defined between fluorescence quantum efficiency and calculated HOMO energy.     

Highly Efficient and Novel Method for Synthesis of 1,3,5-Triarylbenzenes from Acetophenones

Heteropolyacid–phosphomolybdic acid has been found to be an efficient and recyclable catalyst for cyclotrimerization of acetophenones into 1,3,5-triarylbenzenes in good yields.     

ESIPT inspired fluorescent 2-(4-benzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)naphtho[1,2-d]oxazol-2-yl)phenol: experimental and DFT based approach to photophysical properties

ESIPT inspired fluorescent 2-(4-benzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)naphtho[1,2-d]oxazol-2-yl)phenol was synthesized from 1-amino-3-(1,3-benzoxazol-2-yl)naphthalen-2-ol. Photophysical behavior of the synthesized compound was studied using UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopy in polar and non-polar solvents. The synthesized naphthoxazolyl benzoxazole is fluorescent and very sensitive to the micro-environment. It shows a single absorption and dual emission in non-polar solvents with large Stokes shift originating from Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer while in polar solvents only a single short wavelength emission is observed. Experimental absorption and emission wavelengths are in good agreement with those predicted using the Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) [B3LYP/6-31G(d)]. The largest wavelength difference between the experimental and computed absorption maxima was 16 nm (acetonitrile) and 7 nm (ethyl acetate, THF, and 1,4-dioxane) in the short and long wavelength regions, respectively. A largest difference of 25 nm was observed for the short wavelength emission in DMF and 22 nm for the longer wavelength emission in chloroform.