Effect of Nano‐support and Type of Active Metal on Reforming of CH4 with CO2

Two series of Co and Ni based catalysts supported over commercial (ZrO₂, CeO₂, and Al₂O₃) nano supports were investigated for dry reforming of methane. The catalytic activity of both Co and Ni based catalysts were assessed at different reaction temperatures ranging from 500—800 °C; however, for stability the time on stream experiments were conducted at 700 °C for 6 h. Various techniques such as N₂ adsorption‐desorption isotherm, temperature‐programmed reduction (H₂‐TPR), temperature‐programmed desorption (CO₂‐TPD), temperature‐programmed oxidation (TPO), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were applied for characterization of fresh and spent catalysts. The catalytic activity and stability tests clearly showed that the performance of catalyst is strongly dependent on type of active metal and support. Furthermore, active metal particle size and Lewis basicity are key factors which have significant influence on catalytic performance. The results indicated that Ni supported over nano ZrO₂ exhibited highest activity among all tested catalysts due to its unique properties including thermal stability and reducibility. The minimum carbon deposition and thus relatively stable performance was observed in case of Co‐Al catalyst, since this catalyst has shown highest Lewis basicity.     

Synthesis of 7-hydroxy-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones based on a ‘[3+3] cyclization/domino retro-Michael-aldol-lactonization’ strategy

The TiCl₄-mediated [3+3] cyclization of 2,4-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)penta-1,3-diene with 3-silyloxyalk-2-en-1-ones afforded 2-acetylphenols, which were transformed into functionalized chromones. The Me₃SiOTf-mediated condensation of the latter with 1,3-bis(silyl enol ethers) and subsequent domino ‘retro-Michael-aldol-lactonization’ reaction afforded 7-hydroxy-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones.     

Indirect Atomic Absorption Determination of Cocaine via Formation and Liquid‐liquid Extraction of the Iron(III)‐cocaine Complex

The principles of metal‐alkaloid ion‐pair formation and liquid‐liquid extraction are applied to the development of a sensitive and convenient atomic absorption spectrophotometery (AAS) method for the indirect determination of cocaine. In an aqueous medium of 5 M hydrochloric acid, cocaine is protonated and is associated with tetrachloro ferrate (III) anion prior to its extraction into 1,2‐dichloroethane. The critical experimental variables were identified and optimized. The method is simple and reproducible with a detection limit (DL) of 0.1 ng cm^?3 cocaine in water, a relative standard deviation of 0.07 (n = 12), and the calibration graph was linear up to 50 ng cm^?3 cocaine.     

Separation of no-carrier-added radioactive scandium from neutron irradiated titanium

In this work, sorption of Ni(II) from aqueous solution to goethite as a function of various water quality parameters and temperature was investigated. The results indicated that the pseudo-second-order rate equation fitted the kinetic sorption well. The sorption of Ni(II) to goethite was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. A positive effect of HA/FA on Ni(II) sorption was found at pH < 8.0, whereas a negative effect was observed at pH > 8.0. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and D-R models were applied to simulate the sorption isotherms at three different temperatures of 293.15 K, 313.15 K and 333.15 K. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH ⁰, ΔS ⁰ and ΔG ⁰) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption, and the results indicated that the sorption was endothermic and spontaneous. At low pH, the sorption of Ni(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange with Na⁺/H⁺ on goethite surfaces, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH.     

Simultaneous determination of potassium clavulanate and cefixime in synthetic mixtures by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple, precise, and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of potassium clavulanate and cefixime in synthetic mixture form. The analytes were separated on a C18 column by using 0.03 M disodium hydrogen phosphate buffer (pH 6.5)-methanol (84 + 16, v/v) as the mobile phase with detection at 220 nm. The method exhibited high sensitivity and good linearity in the concentration ranges of 12.5-62.5 and 20-100 microg/mL for potassium clavulanate and cefixime, respectively. The total run time for the 2 components was <8 min, and the average recovery was >101.5% with a relative standard deviation of <1.0%. The proposed method was validated according to guidelines of the International Conference on Harmonization by evaluation of linearity, recovery, selectivity, robustness, limits of detection and quantitation, and within- and between-day precision. The results obtained for the synthetic mixture show that the method is highly precise and accurate for the simultaneous determination of potassium clavulanate and cefixime.     

Synthesis, spectroscopic and electrochemical studies of N,N-bis[(E)-2-thienylmethylidene]-1,8-naphthalenediamine and its Cu(II) complex: DNA cleavage and generation of superoxide anion

A novel tetradentate Cu(II) complex of the type, [CuL](NO(3))(2) was synthesized by the interaction of Schiff base ligand, N,N-bis[(E)-2-thienylmethylidene]-1,8-naphthalenediamine, L obtained by the condensation of thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde and 1,8-diaminonaphthalene. The formation of Schiff base ligand, L and its Cu(II) complex was confirmed on the basis of results of elemental analyses, mass, FT-IR, (1)H and (13)C{(1)H} NMR spectral studies. UV-Vis, EPR and magnetic susceptibility data support a square planar environment around Cu(II) ion. However, molar conductance values confirmed 1:2 electrolytic nature for the Cu(II) complex. The electrochemical studies of Cu(II) complex was carried out by using cyclic voltammetry which revealed the complex to exhibit quasi reversible process. The biological activity of Cu(II) complex such as ability to bind DNA and DNA cleavage were studied where the Cu(II) complex was shown to cause considerable DNA cleavage and also generated reactive oxygen species such as superoxide anion. Since it is known that various anticancer drugs act through induction of oxidative stress that is mediated by reactive oxygen species, our results suggest a putative role of Cu(II) complex similar to various anticancer drugs.     

Synthesis and properties ofN-substituted azacalix[n]arenes

Side arm modifications of hexahomotriazacalix[3]arene (1) were achieved by simple synthetic methods. Compound5 has picolyl side arms and liquid-liquid extraction experiments showed that the alkali cation affinity of5 is much stronger than that of1. A chiral group was also introduced into the azacalixarene structure. Calix[4]arene was converted into dihomoazacalix[4]arene (2) in 8% yield. Clathrate formation of2 with various solvents is described. MM3 calculations were carried out onp-substituted analogs of2. The self-filled structure, in which the benzyl side arm is placed in its cavity, is the most stable structure when thep-positions of the aromatic rings carry small substituents. Strong hydrogen bonds between nitrogen and phenolic hydroxyl groups in dihomoazacalix[4]arene (2) were observed at low temperatures. The¹H-NMR signals of phenolic hydroxyl groups appeared as six singlets in the range of 9.817.1 ppm at –70°C.This paper is dedicated to the commemorative issue on the 50th anniversary of calixarenes.     

Synthesis of spiro[5.4]decenones and their transformation into bicyclo[4.4]deca-1,4-dien-3-ones by domino "elimination- double-Wagner-Meerwein-rearrangement" reactions

The [3+3] cyclization of 1,3-bis-silyl enol ethers with 1,1-diacylcyclopentanes allows a convenient synthesis of spiro[5.4]decenones. Treatment of these compounds with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) afforded a great variety of bicyclo[4.4.0]deca-1,4-dien-3-ones containing an angular alkyl group. This core structure occurs in a number of pharmacologically relevant natural products.     

Thermoelectricity Generation and Electron–Magnon Scattering in a Natural Chalcopyrite Mineral from a Deep‐Sea Hydrothermal Vent

Current high‐performance thermoelectric materials require elaborate doping and synthesis procedures, particularly in regard to the artificial structure, and the underlying thermoelectric mechanisms are still poorly understood. Here, we report that a natural chalcopyrite mineral, Cu_1+xFe_1?xS₂, obtained from a deep‐sea hydrothermal vent can directly generate thermoelectricity. The resistivity displayed an excellent semiconducting character, and a large thermoelectric power and high power factor were found in the low x region. Notably, electron–magnon scattering and a large effective mass was detected in this region, thus suggesting that the strong coupling of doped carriers and antiferromagnetic spins resulted in the natural enhancement of thermoelectric properties during mineralization reactions. The present findings demonstrate the feasibility of thermoelectric energy generation and electron/hole carrier modulation with natural materials that are abundant in the Earth’s crust.