Gold nanoparticles: catalyst for the oxidation of NADH to NAD(+)

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is an important coenzyme involved in the production of ATP, the fuel of energy, in every cell. It alternates between the oxidized form NAD(+) and the reduced form dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and serves as a hydrogen and electron carrier in the cellular respiratory processes. In the present work, the catalytic effect of gold nanoparticles on the oxidization of NADH to NAD(+) was investigated. The addition of gold nanoparticles was found to quench the NADH fluorescence intensities but had no effect on the fluorescence lifetime. This suggested that the fluorescence quenching was not due to coupling with the excited state, but due to changing the ground state of NADH. The intensity of the 340 nm absorption band of NADH was found to decrease while that of the 260 nm band of NAD(+) was found to increase as the concentration of gold nanoparticles increased. This conversion reaction was further supported by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. The effect of the addition of NADH was found to slightly red shift and increase the intensity of the surface plasmon absorption band of gold nanoparticles at 520 nm. This gives a strong support that the conversion of NADH to NAD(+) is occurring on the surface of the gold nanoparticles, i.e. NADH is surface catalyzed by the gold nanoparticles. The catalytic property of this important reaction might have important future applications in biological and medical fields.     

UV/Vis Spectroscopic Properties of N -(2′-Hydroxy-4′- N , N -dimethyl-aminobenzylidene)-4-nitroaniline in Various Solvents and Solid Environments

 N-(2′-Hydroxy-4′-N,N-dimethylaminobenzylidene)-4-nitroaniline [HDBN] has been used as a model for investigating intra- and intermolecular D–A (donor–acceptor) interactions in various environments by means of UV/Vis spectroscopy. UV/Vis spectra of HDBN have been measured in various solvents, ethanolic solutions of different pH, adsorbed on silica, and in the solid state. A bathochromic shift of ν_max is observed with increasing the dipolarity/polarizability and HBD (hydrogen bond donor) capacity of the solvent, which is described by means of a multiple LSE (linear solvation energy) relationship in terms of the empirical Kamlet-Taft solvent polarity parameters. The adsorption of HDBN on Aerosil^? 300-silica particles in non-HBA (hydrogen bond acceptor) solvents is explained in the same sense. Mobile protons and sol–gel entrapping cause a hypsochromic shift due to protonation of the lone electron pair of the 4′-N,N-dimethylamino group. Hydroxide ions attack the 2′-hydroxy group which causes a bathochromic shift. A strong intramolecular hydrogen bond between the 2′-hydroxyl hydrogen and the imine nitrogen atom is present in the solid-state structure causing an unprecedented bathochromic shift.     

The quenching of CdSe quantum dots photoluminescence by gold nanoparticles in solution

The photoluminescence (PL) of CdSe quantum dots (QD) in aqueous media has been studied in the presence of gold nanoparticles (NP) with different shapes. The steady state PL intensity of CdSe QD (1.5-2 nm in size) is quenched in the presence of gold NP. Picosecond bleach recovery and nanosecond time-resolved luminescence measurements show a faster bleach recovery and decrease in the lifetime of the emitting states of CdSe QD in the presence of quenchers. Surfactant-capped gold nanorods (NR) with aspect ratio of 3 and surfactant-capped and citrate-capped nanospheres (NS) of 12 nm diameter were used as quenchers in order to study the effect of shape and surface charge on the quenching rates. The Stern-Volmer kinetics model is used to examine the observed quenching behavior as a function of the quencher concentration. It was found that the quenching rate of NR is more than 1000 times stronger than that of NS with the same capping material. We also found that the quenching rate decreases as the length of the NR decreases, although the overlap between the CdSe emission and the NR absorption increases. This suggests that the quenching is a result of electron transfer rather than long-range (Forster-type) energy transfer processes. The quenching was attributed to the transfer of electron with energies below the Fermi level of gold to the trap holes of CdSe QD. The observed large difference between NR and NS quenching efficiencies was attributed to the presence of the [110] facets only in the NR, which have higher surface energy.     

Catalysis with transition metal nanoparticles in colloidal solution: nanoparticle shape dependence and stability

While the nanocatalysis field has undergone an explosive growth during the past decade, there have been very few studies in the area of shape-dependent catalysis and the effect of the catalytic process on the shape and size of transition metal nanoparticles as well as their recycling potential. Metal nanoparticles of different shapes have different crystallographic facets and have different fraction of surface atoms on their corners and edges, which makes it interesting to study the effect of metal nanoparticle shape on the catalytic activity of various organic and inorganic reactions. Transition metal nanoparticles are attractive to use as catalysts due to their high surface-to-volume ratio compared to bulk catalytic materials, but their surface atoms could be so active that changes in the size and shape of the nanoparticles could occur during the course of their catalytic function, which could also affect their recycling potential. In this Feature Article, we review our work on the effect of the shape of the colloidal nanocatalyst on the catalytic activity as well as the effect of the catalytic process on the shape and size of the colloidal transition metal nanocatalysts and their recycling potential. These studies provide important clues on the mechanism of the reactions we studied and also can be very useful in the process of designing better catalysts in the future.     

A New Approach for Synthesis of 2-Thioxocytosine-5-carbonitrile as Antimicrobial Agents

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - A highly efficient synthetic methodology for the preparation of 2-thioxocytosine was achieved by the nucleophilic addition of thiourea to...     

Biosynthesis and Anti-Mycotoxigenic Activity of Zingiber officinale Roscoe-Derived Metal Nanoparticles

Mycotoxigenic fungi have attracted special attention due to their threat to food security and toxicity to human health. Aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale Roscoe was used as reducing and capping agent for the synthesis of silver (AgNPs), copper (CuNPs), and zinc oxide (ZnONPs) nanoparticles. UV-Visible spectra of the AgNPs, CuNPs, and ZnONPs showed absorption peaks at λ_max 416 nm, 472 nm, and 372 nm, respectively. Zeta potential of AgNPs, CuNPs, and ZnONPs were −30.9, −30.4 and −18.4 mV, respectively. ZnONPs showed the highest activity against Aspergillus awamori ZUJQ 965830.1 (ZOI 20.9 mm and MIC 24.7 µg/mL). TEM micrographs of ZnONPs-treated A. awamori showed cracks and pits in the cell wall, liquefaction of the cytoplasmic content, making it less electron-dense. The sporulation and ochratoxin A production of A. awamori was inhibited by ZnONPs in a concentration-dependent pattern. The inhibition percentage of OTA were 45.6, 84.78 and 95.65% for 10, 15, 20 of ZnONPs/mL, respectively.     

Numerical study for the electrified instability of viscoelastic cylindrical dielectric fluid film surrounded by a conducting gas

The linear electrohydrodynamic cylindrical instability of annular Walters B^′${\mathrm{B}}^{\prime }$ viscoelastic dielectric fluid layer surrounded by a conducting gas in the presence of radial electric field is investigated. The obtained dispersion relation is found to be complicated and cannot be treated theoretically easily. Two limiting cases of interest are investigated, when the inertia is dominant, and when both the kinematic viscosity and viscoelasticity are high, and the corresponding new stability conditions are obtained for both cases. We solve the eigenvalue problem numerically using the continuation method which gives better results than the classical non-linear solvers such as Newton and Secant methods. It is found that the applied radial electric field has a dual role on the stability of the considered system, depending of the chosen wavenumbers range. Both the kinematic viscoelasticity and liquid depth are found to have stabilizing effects, while both the kinematic viscosity and surface tension have destabilizing effects on the considered system. The stability or instability breaks down for critical wavenumber values at which the growth rate vanishes. The behaviors of both the maximum growth rate and the corresponding dominant wavenumber are discussed in detail corresponding to the effect of all physical parameters. Finally a comparison between the results obtained here for Walters B^′${\mathrm{B}}^{\prime }$ viscoelastic fluids, and those obtained here too if the fluid is replaced by a Rivlin–Ericksen viscoelastic one is achieved. The limiting cases of absence of electric field and/or kinematic viscoelasticity are also investigated in detail.     

Hydromagnetic parametric resonance instability of two superposed conducting fluids in porous medium

Rayleigh–Taylor instability of a heavy fluid supported by a lighter one through porous medium, in the presence of a uniform, horizontal and oscillating magnetic field is studied. The fluids are taken as viscous (obeying Darcy's law), uniform, incompressible, and infinitely conducting. The amplitude of the oscillating part of the field is taken to be small compared with its steady part. The dispersion relation is obtained in the form of a third-order differential equation, with time as the independent variable and with periodic coefficients, for the vertical displacement of the surface of separation of the two fluids from its equilibrium position. The oscillatory magnetic field of frequency ω$\omega$ and steady part _H0$H_0$ has a stabilizing influence on a mode of disturbance which is unstable in a steady magnetic field of strength _H0$H_0$. It is found that the oscillatory magnetic field and porosity of the porous medium have stabilizing effects, while the medium permeability has a destabilizing influence on the considered system. For a constant value of any of these physical parameters, the system has been found to be unstable (for small wavenumbers) as well as stable afterwards after a definite wavenumber value. The marginal stability case of parametric resonance holds when _M1=_M2=0$M_1=M_2=0$ (and hence m=0$m=0$), in which the characteristic exponents, and the corresponding solutions for u$u$ break down, is also investigated in detail. It is found, to order ?$?$, that the effect of an oscillating magnetic field has no stabilizing influence on a disturbance which is marginally stable in the steady magnetic field; while to order ?²${?}^2$, and when the magnetic field oscillates, a resonance between this mode of disturbances and the oscillating field leads to instability when _ρ2>_ρ1${\rho }_2>{\rho }_1$. It is found also, in this resonant case, that all the constant or varied physical parameters, mentioned above, have destabilizing influences on the considered system. Finally, the other two resonance points appear in non-porous media (i.e., when m=±iω$m=\pm \mathrm{i}\omega$ and m=±2iω$m=\pm 2\mathrm{i}\omega$), are disappeared here due to the presence of the porous medium.     

Development and Validation of a High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Method for the Assay of Ternary Mixtures Containing Cetirizine Dihydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A highly validated and selective high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the determination of...     

Nano nickel [1,2,4]-triazole-3-thiones complex: Design,sonochemical synthesis,and antimicrobial evaluation

A series of new 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones were synthesized by calm, benign, no risk, eco-friendly, and energy efficient sequential reaction methodology like grinding and ultrasonic (US). In addition, 1,2,4-triazoles were prepared under conventional method and comparative study was done. The synthesized 1,2,4-triazoles were complexed with Ni(II) to produce nanoparticles complexes (NPC's) with average particle size vary from 55 to 100 nm (using scanning electron microscope technique) with good yields via both US and conventional techniques. X-ray diffraction technique and spectra analysis techniques were used to confirm the square planer geometry of the synthesized NPC's. Antimicrobial activity of the prepared 1,2,4-triazoles and their nickel complexes were studied which evaluated a high activity with complexes instead their triazoles.