Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous organosilica supported palladium (SBA-Pr-NCQ-Pd) as an efficient nanocatalyst in the Mizoroki–Heck coupling reaction

In the present study, the modification of a mesoporous organosilica nanocomposite SBA-15 (Santa Barbara Amorphous 15) was carried out in two steps, first through the surface functionalization of SBA-Pr-NH₂ with 2-chloroquinoline-3-carbaldehyde to form SBA-Pr-NCQ, and then through a post-modification process with palladium ions. The target nanocompound structure of SBA-Pr-NCQ-Pd was characterized by different techniques (thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). The catalytic performance of the porous inorganic–organic hybrid nanocomposite (SBA-Pr-NCQ-Pd) in one of the most important carbon–carbon bond-forming processes, the Mizoroki–Heck coupling reaction of aryl halides and methacrylate in water/ethanol media, was examined. Compared to previous reports, this protocol afforded some advantages, such as high yields of products, short reaction times, catalyst stability without leaching, simple methodology, easy workup, and greener conditions. Also, the nanocatalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture and reused several times without a significant decrease in activity and promises economic as well as environmental benefits.     

A three-dimensional highly stable cobalt(II) metal–organic framework based on terephthalic acid: synthesis, crystal structure, thermal and physical properties

A metal?Corganic framework complex, [Co(??₃?Ctp)(??₂?pyz)] _n , where H₂tp?=?1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (terephthalic acid) and pyz?=?pyrazine, has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods, thermogravimetric analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Each Co(II) center is surrounded by four carboxylate oxygen atoms from three tp ligands and two nitrogen atoms from two pyrazine ligands, giving a distorted octahedral geometry. The entire framework is made up of two-dimensional sheets of dicobalt ions linked via terephthalate ligands to form rectangles. The sheets are then linked into each other via the axial pyrazine ligands, forming an interlocked 3-D network, which is finally arranged as an ABAB interconnected pattern. Photoluminescence measurements for the polymer in the solid state show an emission at 414?nm, which suggests this complex as a potential blue-light material. The electrochemical behavior of a modified carbon paste electrode prepared from the complex has been studied by cyclic voltammetry, indicating quasi-reversible redox behavior.     

A study on the formation of strontium hexaferrite nanopowder by a sol–gel auto-combustion method in the presence of surfactant

Strontium hexaferrite is a hard magnetic material and has been extensively used as a permanent magnet. In this work, a novel sol–gel auto-combustion method was used to synthesize ultra-fine strontium hexaferrite, and the effect of the surfactant on the crystallite size of the final product was investigated for the first time. The DTA/TGA plot exhibited the formation temperature of hexaferrite. The XRD results show that adding surfactant to the sol does not change the composition of the combustion product and the surfactant burns completely during the combustion process. The average crystallite size of hexaferrite powders was also measured by the X-ray line broadening technique employing the Scherrer formula. The results show that adding surfactant to the gel makes the particle size of the final product much smaller.     

A novel Lu fluorescent nano-chemosensor using new functionalized mesoporous structures

A new Lu³⁺ sensitive fluorescent chemosensor is designed using 8-hydroxyquinoline functionalized mesoporous silica with highly ordered structure (LUS-SPS-Q). The characterization of LUS-SPS-Q showed that the organized structure has been preserved after the post grafting procedure. The synthesized material showed a selective interaction with Lu³⁺ ion, most probably due to the presence of the fluorophore moiety at its surface. The emission intensity of the Lu³⁺-bound mesoporous material increases with an increase in concentrations of Lu³⁺ ion. Addition of other mono-, di-, trivalent ions resulted in insignificant change in the fluorescent intensity. The enhancement of fluorescence is attributed to the strong covalent binding of Lu³⁺ ion. The linear response range of Lu³⁺ chemo-sensor was from 1.6 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The Limit of detection obtained was 8.2 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ and the pH range which the proposed chemo-sensor can be applied was 3.3–8.3.     

Investigation of environmental and concentration effects on fluorescence properties of AlQ<Subscript>3</Subscript> using mesoporous silica and polyacrylate

In this work, for the first time, control over the position of maximum emission peak for fluorophore, using embedded tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (AlQ₃) complexes into different types of host materials, can be achieved. Moreover, the environmental and concentration effects on luminescent properties were studied. In this regard, different concentrations of AlQ₃ were embedded into the poly(methyl methacrylate-co-butyl acrylate) (PMMA-co-PBuA) nanoparticles as organic host materials by emulsion polymerization. It is established that the dilution of AlQ₃ in the polymer matrix leads to blue-shift of the luminescence maximum up to 0.32 eV compared to pure AlQ₃. Moreover, AlQ₃ was embedded in SBA-15 type mesoporous silica as an inorganic host material by physical adsorption. Finally, this functionalized mesoporous silica was incorporated into PMMA-co-PBuA transparent matrix by blending method to obtain Co-Poly-AlQ₃-SBA-15 as organic–inorganic composite material. It was found that there is no significant wavelength shift on the maximum emission peak of the organic–inorganic composite at various concentrations of AlQ₃-SBA-15. The prepared materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption–desorption, NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence spectra.     

The synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of nano calcium fluorapatite using tetra-butylammonium fluoride

Pure homogeneous nano sized biocompatible fluorapatite (FAp) particles were synthesized by a wet chemical procedure using water soluble tetra-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) without using high temperatures and any purification processes. Combination of the Bragg's law and the plane-spacing equation for the two high intensity lines, namely, (002) and (300), gives a=9.3531 ?, c=6.8841 ?, confirms the identity of the highly crystalline synthetic material as well as its purity. The effect of various pH's in crystal formation and on their size was also evaluated. The calculated crystallinities were excellent with a rate around 5.0. The synthesized nano FAp was fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques (XRD, SEM, EDS, BET, FT-IR and ICP-AES). The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm showed a type IV diagram and calculation of the surface area was investigated as well.     

Novel method for the fast preconcentration and monitoring of a ppt level of lead and copper with a modified hexagonal mesoporous silica compound and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

A novel method for the rapid extraction and determination of a ppt level of Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions using partial silylated MCM-41 modified by a new salophen and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) is introduced. The preconcentration factor of the method is 500, and the detection limits of Pb2+ and Cu2+ are 335 and 34 ng L(-1), respectively. The time and efficiency of extraction, the pH and flow rate, the type and minimum amount of acid for stripping of Pb2+ and Cu2+ from modified MCM-41 and the break-through volume were investigated. The maximum capacity of 4 mg of silylated MCM-41 modified by salophen used was found to be 150 +/- 4 and 117 +/- 3 microg of Pb2+ and Cu2+, respectively.     

Pd embedded N,S co‐doped graphene wrapped core‐shell magnetic nanospheres: Engineered stable nanocatalyst for Suzuki couplings

Designed nitrogen and sulfur co‐doped graphene wrapped magnetic core‐shell supported Pd nanoparticles were synthesized through the following steps. Firstly, Fe₃O₄ was prepared, coated with silica and then functionalized with amine groups to create a positive charge on the structure for enhancing the interaction of the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ with graphene oxide. Secondary, the pre‐catalyst wrapped with graphene to enhance adsorption of aromatic substrates through π–π stacking. Thirdly, graphene was doped with nitrogen and sulfur to increase the grafting of Pd in hybrid. Finally, Pd NPs were attached on the surface of pre‐engineered structure to produce Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@N,S‐wG@Pd which exhibited high performance in Suzuki reactions. This superior activity can be indexed to the incorporation of N and S atoms into graphene led to high anchoring and well‐dispersion of Pd NPs on the nanocomposite surface offering large amounts of active centers, that strongly increased the interaction between Pd and substrates to decreases Pd leaching.     

Microextraction of Rosmarinic Acid Using CMK-3 Nanoporous Carbon in a Packed Syringe

CMK-3 nanoporous carbon was prepared and used as an efficient sorbent for microextraction in packed syringe of rosmarinic acid in Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary). In the proposed method, only 2 mg of the nanoporous material, inserted between a syringe’s barrel and needle, was sufficient for the extraction with minimum consumption of organic solvents. Sample preparation was performed on the packed bed using a laboratory-made programmable apparatus. The apparatus was designed and used for automation of the conditioning, sampling, washing and elution steps of the method, and increasing the reproducibility of the experiments. For optimization of the experimental parameters, a central composite design method was used. Under the optimized conditions (i.e., number of adsorption cycles 14 times, number of elution cycles ten times and volume of elution 100 μL), an extraction recovery of 90 (±4.5) % was obtained for rosmarinic acid. The same packing bed could be used for at least 80 extractions without significant changes in its properties. The efficiency of the nanoporous sorbent was found to be superior to that of activated carbon, by a factor of about 17. The proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction of three rosemary samples before analysis by HPLC.