Electrochemical Sensors Based on Au Nanoparticles Decorated Pyrene-Reduced Graphene Oxide for Hydrazine, 4-Nitrophenol and Hg2+ Detection in Water

Monitoring hazardous chemical compounds such as hydrazine (N₂H₄), 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and Hg²⁺ in natural water resources is a crucial issue due to their toxic effects on human health and catastrophic impact on the environment. Electrochemical nanostructured platforms integrating hybrid nanocomposites based on graphene derivatives and inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) are of great interest for such a purpose. In this work, disposable screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) have been modified with a hybrid nanocomposite formed by reduced graphene oxide (RGO), functionalized by 1-pyrene carboxylic acid (PCA), and decorated by colloidal Au NPs. These hybrid platforms have been tested for the electrocatalytic detection of N₂H₄ and 4-NP by differential pulse voltammetry and have been modified with an electropolymerized film of Hg²⁺ ions imprinted polycurcumin for the electroanalytical detection of Hg²⁺ by DPV. LODs, lower and in line with the lowest ones reported for state-of-the-art electrochemical sensors, integrating similar Au-graphene < nanocomposites, have been estimated. Additionally, good repeatability, reproducibility, and storage stability have been assessed, as well as a high selectivity in the presence of a 100-fold higher concentration of interfering species. The applicability of the proposed platforms for the detection of the compounds in real complex matrices, such as tap and river water samples, has been effectively demonstrated.     

Controlling the self-assembly of a deoxiguaninosine on mica

We report a tapping mode scanning force microscopy investigation on the growth from solutions of a lipophilic deoxiguanosine derivative on the basal plane of a muscovite mica surface. By varying the chemical composition of the substrate surface it is possible to drive the self-assembly towards either layered thin films, which are very likely to consist of guanosine quartets, or nanoribbons, comprising hydrogen bonded networks. Both these two architectures, which are peculiar to the guanine base itself, are of notable importance for the fabrication of molecular nanowires. Moreover, the first arrangement provides evidence that the guanosine is able to behave as ionophore, thus, suggesting its utilization in the development of solid-state ion selective sensors.     

Solid State NMR and TG/MS Study on the Transformation of Methyl Groups During Pyrolysis of Preceramic Precursors to SiOC Glasses

The sol-gel method was used to prepare two different starting gels containing SiCH₃-groups for the preparation of SiOC ceramics. To understand the role of Si—H bonds in the incorporation of carbon into the SiOC network, gels prepared from a 1:2 mixture of triethoxysilane and methyldiethoxysilane (T^HD^H2) and solely methyltriethoxysilane (T^Me) were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectroscopy (TG-MS) in inert atmosphere was performed to attain an insight into the decomposition reactions involved during gel-glass transformation. Samples calcined at different temperatures up to 1000°C were characterized by ²⁹Si and ¹³C magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR) spectroscopy. The presence of SiH groups in the starting gel allows an efficient conversion of Si—CH₃ groups into CSi₄ sites at lower temperatures. As a result, despite a much lower amount of carbon in the starting T^HD^H2 gel (C/Si = 0.33) compared to the T^Me gel (C/Si = 1), the amount of carbon inserted into the SiOC network of both glasses is equivalent, but the T^Me sample contains the 10 fold amount of free carbon.     

Formation and compatibilizing effect of the grafted copolymer in the reactive blending of 2-diethylsuccinate containing polyolefins with poly-ϵ-caprolactam (nylon-6)

The intermolecular reaction and its role in determining the partial compatibility between diethylsuccinate containing linear low-density polyethylene or ethylene propylene copolymer and poly-ϵ-caprolactam (PA6) has been investigated in the melt using a Brabender mixer. The reaction product has been submitted to selective solvent extraction with formic acid and n-heptane; the characterization of the two extracted fractions and the insoluble residue has demonstrated the formation of a polyolefin–nylon (PO–PA6) grafted copolymer. The formation of grafted copolymer has an evident effect on the compatibilization of the two original polymers, indeed the differential scanning calorimetry analysis shows a remarkable decrease of temperature and enthalpy of PA6 crystallization. Moreover scanning electron microscopy micrographs show clear evidence of size reduction of PA6 domains associated with improved interface interactions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A general NMR method for rapid, efficient, and reliable biochemical screening

High-throughput screening is usually the method of drug-lead discovery. It is now well accepted that, for a functional assay, quality is more important than quantity. The ligand-based or protein-based NMR screening methodologies for detecting compounds binding to the macromolecular target of interest are now well established. A novel and sensitive NMR method for rapid, efficient, and reliable biochemical screening is presented. The method named 3-FABS (three fluorine atoms for biochemical screening) requires the labeling of the substrate with a CF(3) moiety and utilizes (19)F NMR spectroscopy for the detection of the starting and enzymatically modified substrates. The method allows for high-quality screening of large compound or natural product extract collections and for measuring their IC(50) values. Applications of this technique to the screening of inhibitors of the Ser/Thr kinase AKT1 and the protease trypsin are presented. In addition, an interesting application of 3-FABS to functional genomics is also presented.     

DFT computational study of the mechanism of allyl halides carbonylation catalyzed by nickel tetracarbonyl

A theoretical investigation at the DFT(B3LYP) level on the carbonylation reaction of allyl bromide catalyzed by nickel tetra-carbonyl Ni(CO)(4) is discussed. The computational results show the following: (i) Three main steps characterize the catalytic cycle: (a) an oxidative addition step, (b) a carbonylation step, and (c) a reductive elimination step where the acyl product is obtained and the catalyst is regenerated. (ii) Both Ni(CO)(3) and Ni(CO)(4) complexes can behave as "active" catalytic species. (iii) The oxidative addition leads to the formation of either eta(3) or eta(1)-allyl nickel complexes, which are involved in a fast equilibrium. (iv) The carbonylation occurs much more easily on the eta(1) than on the eta(3) intermediates.     

Antioxidant activity of o-bisphenols: the role of intramolecular hydrogen bonding

A kinetic and thermodynamic investigation on the antioxidant activity of 2,2'-methylenebis(6-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol) (2), 2,2'-ethylidenebis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenol) (3), and 4,4'-methylenebis(2,6-di-tert-butylphenol) (4) are reported. EPR studies of the equilibration between 3 or 4 and a reference phenol, and the corresponding phenoxyl radicals, allowed us to determine the O-H bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) of the O-H bond as 81.2 and 81.1 kcal/mol in 3 and 4, respectively. Despite this similarity, the absolute rate constants for the reaction with peroxyl radicals, determined by autoxidation studies under controlled conditions, indicate that the o-bisphenols 2 and 3 behave as excellent antioxidants while the p-bisphenol 4 is less effective by a factor of 64 and 22, respectively. FT-IR spectroscopy and product studies suggest that the very good antioxidant activity of the o-bisphenols largely arises from both the reduced steric crowding about the hydroxyl group and the stabilization of the aroxyl radical due to the formation of an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the residual OH and the oxygen radical center.     

Optimization of hydrolase efficiency in organic solvents

The application of hydrolases in organic solvents for synthetic purposes is a procedure routinely adopted in organic chemistry, especially for the preparation of chiral building blocks. Numerous studies have shed light on several aspects of the mechanism of hydrolase action in low-water environments. Procedures suitable to improve the catalytic efficiency of enzymes and productivity of the synthetic processes have been reported. These fundamental and applied investigations have made hydrolase-catalyzed reactions in organic solvents of industrial interest. In this article we describe and discuss various approaches adopted to optimize the performance of hydrolases in organic media, with special emphasis on the formulation of the biocatalysts which, under proper conditions, can display an activity equal to that displayed in aqueous buffers.     

The EPR study of dialkyl nitroxides as probes to investigate the exchange of solutes between micellar and water phases

An EPR investigation of the kinetics of the exit, k ^-, and entrance, k ⁺, processes in micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and polyoxyethylene(6)decanol of a family of para-substituted benzyl tert -butyl nitroxides and para-substituted benzyl hydroxyalkyl nitroxides is reported. The inclusion of nitroxide probes in the hydrophobic environment of the micelle gives rise to a reduction of the value of both nitrogen and β-proton splittings, with the result that the resonance fields for the M_I(2H _β ) = ±1lines of the free and included species are significantly different. The rate constants were obtained by analyzing the EPR line shape variations as function of surfactant concentration and temperature. The experimental value of k ⁺ obtained from the study of benzyl tert-butyl nitroxide indicates that the association reaction is very close to being controlled by diffusion. The value of the exit rate, k ^-, instead, depends on the probe hydrocarbon chain length. A comparison of our results with those obtained by luminescence quenching techniques is also reported.