Efficient Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol Using Copper(II) Complexes with N,O-Chelating Schiff Base Ligands

The reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by sodium borohydride was used as a model to test the catalytic activity of copper(II) complexes containing N,O-chelating Schiff base ligands. In this study, a series of copper(II) complexes containing respective Schiff base ligands, N′-salicylidene-2-aminophenol (1), N′-salicylidene-2-aminothiazole (2), and N,N′-bis(salicylidene)-o-phenylenediamine (3), were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), UV-Visible (UV-Vis) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. The results from the 4-nitrophenol reduction showed that 3 has the highest catalytic activities with 97.5% conversion, followed by 2 and 1 with 95.2% and 90.8% conversions, respectively. The optimization of the catalyst amount revealed that 1.0 mol% of the catalyst was the most optimized amount with the highest conversion compared to the other doses, 0.5 mol% and 1.5 mol%. Recyclability and reproducibility tests confirmed that all three complexes were active, efficient, and possess excellent reproducibility with consistent catalytic performances and could be used again without a major decrease in the catalytic activity.     

The stability of a shearing viscous star with an electromagnetic field

We analyze the role of the electromagnetic field for the stability of a shearing viscous star with spherical symmetry. Matching conditions are given for the interior and the exterior metrics. We use a perturbation scheme to construct the collapse equation. The range of instability is explored in Newtonian and post Newtonian (pN) limits. We conclude that the electromagnetic field diminishes the effects of the shearing viscosity in the instability range and makes the system more unstable in both Newtonian and post Newtonian approximations.     

Capacitive Chemical Sensor for Thiopental Assay Based on Electropolymerized Molecularly Imprinted Polymer

A novel capacitive sensor based on electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for thiopental detection is described. The molecularly imprinted film as a recognition element was prepared by electropolymerization of phenol on a gold electrode in the presence of thiopental (template). Cyclic voltammetry and capacitive measurements were used for characterization and evaluation of the polymeric film. The template molecules were removed from the modified electrode surface by washing with an ethanol:water solution. The sensor’s linear response range was between 3 and 20 µM, with a detection limit of 0.6 µM. The proposed sensor exhibited good selectivity, reproducibility. Satisfactory results were obtained in the direct detection of real samples.     

Electrical bending instability in electrospinning visco‐elastic solutions

The electrical bending instability in charged liquid jets is the phenomenon determining the process of electrospinning. A model of this phenomenon is lacking however, mostly due to the complicated interplay between the viscosity and elasticity of the solution. To investigate the bending instability, we performed electrospinning experiments with a solution of polyethylene oxide in water/ethanol. Using a fast camera and sensitive multimeter, we deduced an experimental dispersion relation describing the helix pitch length as a function of surface charge. To understand this relation, we developed a theoretical model for the instability for a wide range of visco‐elastic materials, from conducting to nonconducting. The theoretical dispersion relation shows good agreement with the experimental results. Using the new model, we find that the elastic tension in the visco‐elastic threads plays an important role in triggering the instability. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1036–1042     

One-pot,three-component,catalyst-free synthesis of novel derivatives of pyrido-[2,3-d]pyrimidines under ultrasonic irradiations

Novel derivatives of pyrido-[2,3-d] pyrimidines were synthesized via an efficient and catalyst- free, one-pot, three-component reaction of 3-(1-methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-3-oxopropanenitrile, 6-amino-(ethylthio)pyrimidine-4(3H)-one, and arylaldehydes under ultrasonic irradiations. This practical method furnished the desired pyridopyrimidines in high yields (79–89%) and short reaction times (25–40 min).     

Impact of gain compression on modulation response and dynamic properties of three state lasing InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers

In this paper, we have theoretically studied dynamics of a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) laser for enhancing its small signal and large signal modulation as a function of compression gain. We have considered InGaAs/GaAs QD laser rate equations and solved this equation system numerically. We have revealed that a diminution in compression gain leads to an improvement in frequency bandwidth for this three state lasing system. We also have calculated turn on delay and output power that obviously indicates the effect of compression gain on relaxation oscillations.