Multisensor biomimetic systems with fully artificial recognition strategies in food analysis

Abstract  Food materials and their products are directly connected with the life of all living beings and thus present themselves as most important candidates for quality analysis. A wide variety of method-development strategies are being applied for this purpose, but direct online systems are highly desirable, with demand ever increasing. This article reviews recent literature on the topic stressing mainly two points: the first is the development of artificial multisensor systems and the second is the design of robust materials for these devices. Although most of the progress in the area has focused on metal oxide semiconductors, novel approaches using electrochemical and mass-sensitive systems are also emerging rapidly. As far as sensing materials are concerned, tailor-made interaction layers, where interaction sites are, e.g., created in polymeric substances, are replacing biomaterials. Among these, molecular imprinting is the most prominent. In this technique selectivity is achieved by making direct imprints of templates in a polymer matrix, thus generating a material homologous with its biological counterparts. Graphical Abstract        

Chloro-diorganotin(IV) complexes of 4-methyl-1-piperidine carbodithioic acid: Synthesis, X-ray crystal structures, spectral properties and antimicrobial studies

Chloro-diorganotin(IV) complexes of 4-methyl-1-piperidine carbodithioic acid (4-MePCDTA) have been synthesized by the reaction with diorganotin dichloride in 1:1 molar ratio in anhydrous toluene. These newly synthesized complexes have been characterized by elemental, IR, multinuclear NMR (¹H and ¹³C) and mass spectrometric studies. The crystal structures of complex 1 [Me₂SnCl(4-MePCDT)] and 3 [Ph₂SnCl(4-MePCDT)] have been determined by X-ray single crystal analysis, which show trigonal bipyramid geometry. These complexes were tested for their antimicrobial activity against six different plant and human pathogens. The screening results show that the complexes exhibit higher antibacterial and antifungal activity than the free ligand.     

Effect of Erosive Agents on Surface Characteristics of Nano-Fluorapatite Ceramic: An In-Vitro Study

Erosive beverages cause dissolution of natural teeth and intra-oral restorations, resulting in surface characteristic changes, particularly roughness and degradation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness and topography of a dental ceramic following immersion in locally available erosive solutions. A total of 160 disc specimens of a nano-fluorapatite type ceramic (12 mm diameter and 2 mm thickness) were fabricated and equally distributed into two groups (n = 80) and then evenly distributed among the following five testing groups (n = 16): lemon juice, citrate buffer solution, 4% acetic acid, soft cola drink, and distilled water which served as a control. The surface roughness (Ra) and topography were evaluated using a profilometer and scanning electron microscope at baseline, 24 h, 96 h, and 168 h respectively. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparisons (p ≤ 0.05). Surface changes were observed upon exposure to all acidic beverages except distilled water. Amongst all immersion media, 4% acetic acid produced the most severe surface roughness across all time periods (i.e., baseline, 24 h, 96 h, and 168 h). A statistically significant difference in the surface roughness values between all immersion media and across all four time intervals was observed. Erosive agents had a negative effect on the surface roughness and topography of the tested ceramic. The surface roughness increased with increased storage time intervals.     

Schiff base tantalum(V) complexes

Summary Complexes of pentachlorotantalum with the Schiff bases: bis(vanillin)benzidine, bis(vanillin)-o-dianisidine, bis(acetylacetone)benzidine, bis(p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde)-o-dianisidine, bis(anisaldehyde)-1, 3-propanediamine and bis(p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde)-o-phenylenediamine have been prepared and characterized by molar conductance, decomposition temperature, elemental and t.g. analyses and i.r. spectral measurements. The conductances reveal that pentachlorotantalum (1 mole) interacts with all the ligands (1 mole), all five chloride ions thus forming simple adducts. A comparative study of the i.r. spectra of the parent ligands and their complexes allows the coordination sites to be ascertained. The studies show that tantalum(V) chloride prefers to form complexes of high coordination number.     

McGuire-Ruffini solution in new general relativity

We obtain a solution of new general relativity from a solution of Einstein's general relativity which includes many known solutions, such as Kerr-Newman-Kasuya, Kerr-Newman, Kerr, and NUT, as special cases.     

One-pot Multicomponent Synthesis,Spectroscopy, Crystal Structures and Theoretical Calculations of 3-Cyano-4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-6-phenyl-2(1H)-pyridinone and 3-Cyano-4-chlorophenyl-6-(4-tolyl)-2(1H)-pyridinone

Pyridinone derivatives are of great interest in medicinal chemistry where they were found to be potent to various diseases. Their metal complexes added more value to their applications. Here, we have synthesized two 2-pyridinone derivatives(3-cyano-4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-6-phenyl-2(1 H)-pyridinone and 3-cyano-4-chlorophenyl-6-(4-tolyl)-2(1 H)-pyridinone) using one-pot multicomponent system. They were well characterized using spectroscopic techniques like nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR-1 H 13 C), Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The final structures were determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique which helps us to determine their geometries. Density functional theory(DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory(TD-DFT) with suitable basis-sets of calculations have correctly simulated these spectroscopic parameters. The intramolecular charge transfer(ICT) of both substrates has been discussed using natural bond orbital(NBO) technique. Molecular electrostatic potential(MEP) surfaces showed their reactive locations for intermolecular charge transfer. Compared to p-nitroaniline(pNA), both substrates were shown to have substantial molecular hyperpolarizability.     

Synthesis,XRD, spectral (IR,UV–Vis,NMR) characterization and quantum chemical exploration of benzoimidazole‐based hydrazones: A synergistic experimental‐computational analysis

Present study advocates the joint experimental and computational studies of two potent benzoimidazole‐based hydrazones with chemical formula C₂₃H₁₈F₂N₄O ( 5a ) and C₂₅H₂₂FN₅O₃ ( 5b ). Both 5a and 5b were synthesized and resolved into their crystal structures using SC‐XRD for the assessment of bond lengths, bond angles, unit cells and space groups. The structures of 5a and 5b were chemically characterized using infrared (FT‐IR), UV–Visible, nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR), EIMS and elemental analysis. DFT at M06‐2X/6‐31G(d,p) level of theory was performed to get optimized structures and countercheck the experimental findings. Overall, DFT findings show excellent concurrence with the experimental data which confirms the purity of both compounds. FMO, NBO analysis, MEP surfaces and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties were explored at same level of theory. UV–Vis analysis at TDDFT/M06‐2X/6‐31G(d,p) level of theory showed that 5b is red shifted with λ_max 331.69 nm as compared to 5a with λ_max 240.25 nm. Global reactivity parameters were estimated using energy of FMOs indicated the greater harness value than the softness values of 5a and 5b . NBO analysis confirmed that the presence of non‐covalent interactions, hydrogen bonding and hyper conjugative interactions are pivotal cause for the existence of 5a and 5b in the solid‐state. NLO results of 5a and 5b were observed better than standard molecule recommended the NLO activity of said molecules for optoelectronic applications.     

Effects of hall current and heat transfer on MHD flow of a Burgers’ fluid due to a pull of eccentric rotating disks

The effect of Hall current and heat transfer on the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) flow of an electrically conducting, incompressible Burgers’ fluid between two infinite disks rotating about non-coaxial axes perpendicular to the disks is studied. The flow is due to a pull with constant velocities of eccentric rotating infinite disks and an external uniform magnetic field normal to the disks is applied. Exact solutions are obtained for the governing momentum and energy equations. The effects of Hartmann number M, Prandtl number Pr, Eckert number Ec and Hall parameter η are studied.     

Metal‐based sulfonamides: synthesis,characterization, antibacterial,antifungal and cytotoxic properties of pyrrolyl‐ and thienyl‐derived compounds

Pyrrolyl and thienyl derived sulfonamides and their metal [cobalt(II), copper(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II)] complexes were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductances, magnetic moments, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and electronic spectral data. These compounds were screened for in‐vitro antibacterial activity against four Gram‐negative (Escherichia coli, Shigella flexeneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi) and two Gram‐positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) bacterial strains, and for in‐vitro antifungal activity against Trichophyton longifusus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, Microsporum canis, Fusarium solani and Candida glaberata. The results of these studies revealed that all compounds showed significant to moderate antibacterial activity; however, the zinc complexes were shown to be the most active against various species. The brine shrimp bioassay was also carried out to study their in vitro cytotoxic properties of all the synthesized ligands and their metal complexes. Only two compounds ( 14 and 19 ) displayed potent cytotoxic activity as LD₅₀ = 5.5637 × 10^?4 and 4.4023 × 10^?4 M ml^?1 respectively, against Artemia salina. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.