Salt Stress Mitigation via the Foliar Application of Chitosan-Functionalized Selenium and Anatase Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni)

High salt levels are one of the significant and major limiting factors on crop yield and productivity. Out of the available attempts made against high salt levels, engineered nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely employed and considered as effective strategies in this regard. Of these NPs, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) and selenium functionalized using chitosan nanoparticles (Cs–Se NPs) were applied for a quite number of plants, but their potential roles for alleviating the adverse effects of salinity on stevia remains unclear. Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is one of the reputed medicinal plants due to their diterpenoid steviol glycosides (stevioside and rebaudioside A). For this reason, the current study was designed to investigate the potential of TiO₂ NPs (0, 100 and 200 mg L⁻¹) and Cs–Se NPs (0, 10 and 20 mg L⁻¹) to alleviate salt stress (0, 50 and 100 mM NaCl) in stevia. The findings of the study revealed that salinity decreased the growth and photosynthetic traits but resulted in substantial cell damage through increasing H₂O₂ and MDA content, as well as electrolyte leakage (EL). However, the application of TiO₂ NPs (100 mg L⁻¹) and Cs–Se NPs (20 mg L⁻¹) increased the growth, photosynthetic performance and activity of antioxidant enzymes, and decreased the contents of H₂O₂, MDA and EL under the saline conditions. In addition to the enhanced growth and physiological performance of the plant, the essential oil content was also increased with the treatments of TiO₂ (100 mg L⁻¹) and Cs–Se NPs (20 mg L⁻¹). In addition, the tested NPs treatments increased the concentration of stevioside (in the non-saline condition and under salinity stress) and rebaudioside A (under the salinity conditions) in stevia plants. Overall, the current findings suggest that especially 100 mg L⁻¹ TiO₂ NPs and 20 mg L⁻¹ Cs–Se could be considered as promising agents in combating high levels of salinity in the case of stevia.     

Flame atomic absorption determination of trace amounts of cadmium after preconcentration using a thiol-containing task-specific ionic liquid

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) based on a task-specific ionic liquid (TSIL) was developed for the extraction and preconcentration of trace amounts of cadmium from aqueous samples, followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) determination. In the proposed approach, cadmium ions are extracted from aqueous samples using small volumes of trioctylmethylammonium thiosalicylate (TOMATS) dissolved in acetone. TOMATS is a thiol-containing TSIL that can form metal thiolate complexes due to the chelating effect of the ortho-positioned carboxylate group relative to the thiol functionality. The main parameters affecting the performance of DLLME based on TSIL, such as pH, amount of TOMATS, extraction time, injection volume, salt addition, and centrifugation time, were optimized. Under optimum conditions, an LOD of 1.16 ng/mL and a good RSD of 1.8% at 60.0 ng/mL were obtained (n=7). The proposed method was applied to tap water, wastewater, well water, and milk samples. The results showed that DLLME based on TSIL combined with FAAS is a rapid, simple, sensitive, selective, low cost, volatile organic solvent-free, and efficient analytical method for the separation and determination of trace amounts of cadmium ions.     

One-pot and efficient synthesis of triazolo[1,2-a]indazole-triones via reaction of arylaldehydes with urazole and dimedone catalyzed by silica nanoparticles prepared from rice husk

A novel synthesis of triazolo[1,2-a]indazole-1,3,8-trione derivatives by reaction of urazole, dimedone and aromatic aldehydes under conventional heating and microwave irradiation and solvent-free conditions using silica nanoparticles prepared from rice husk ash as catalyst is described. The new method features high yields, multicomponent reactions and environmental friendliness.     

Host (nanocavity of zeolite-Y)–guest (molybdophosphoric acid) nanocomposite materials: An efficient catalyst for solvent-free synthesis and deprotection of 1,l-diacetates

In the present work, a mild and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of acylals from aldehydes with acetic anhydride in the presence of molybdophosphoric acid encapsulated into dealuminated zeolite Y (MPA-DAZY) as a catalyst under solvent-free conditions at 45–55 °C in good to excellent yield. The deprotection of acylals has also been attained using this catalyst in acetonitrile. The catalyst was reused several times without efficient loss of its catalytic activity.     

Solid phase extraction of zirconium as arsenazo(III) complex on agar and spectrophotometric determination

A new solid phase extraction method for the separation and determination of zirconium using agar as an adsorbent is described. The method is based on the adsorption of zirconium as arsenazo(III) complex on agar in a mini-column, elution with sulfuric acid-acetone mixture and determination by spectrophotometry. The effect of different parameters such as pH, concentration of the reagent, eluting reagent, and volume of the sample, amount of the adsorbent and interfering ions was investigated. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 5?C300 ng ml^?1 of zirconium under optimum conditions. The limit of detection based on 3S_b was 1.3 ng ml^?1 and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D) for ten replicate measurements of 15 and 200 ng ml^?1 of zirconium was 3.7 and 1.8%, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of zirconium in water and soil samples.     

Curvature-dependent surface energy and implications for nanostructures

At small length scales, several size-effects in both physical phenomena and properties can be rationalized by invoking the concept of surface energy. Conventional theoretical frameworks of surface energy, in both the mechanics and physics communities, assume curvature independence. In this work we adopt a simplified and linearized version of a theory proposed by Steigmann–Ogden to capture curvature-dependence of surface energy. Connecting the theory to atomistic calculations and the solution to an illustrative paradigmatical problem of a bent cantilever beam, we catalog the influence of curvature-dependence of surface energy on the effective elastic modulus of nanostructures. The observation in atomistic calculations that the elastic modulus of bent nanostructures is dramatically different than under tension – sometimes softer, sometimes stiffer – has been a source of puzzlement to the scientific community. We show that the corrected surface mechanics framework provides a resolution to this issue. Finally, we propose an unambiguous definition of the thickness of a crystalline surface.     

Determination of thebaine in water samples, biological fluids, poppy capsule, and narcotic drugs, using electromembrane extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis

Opium determination is of great importance from toxicological and pharmaceutical standpoints. In present work, electromembrane extraction (EME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultraviolet (UV) detection was developed for determination of thebaine as a natural alkaloid, in different matrices containing water, urine, poppy capsule, street heroine, and codeine tablet. Thebaine migrated from 3 mL of sample solutions, through a thin layer of 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) immobilized in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, and into a 15 μL acidic aqueous acceptor solution present inside the lumen of the fiber. The variables of interest, such as chemical composition of the organic liquid membrane, stirring speed, extraction time and voltage, pH of donor and acceptor phases and salt effect in the EME process were optimized. Under optimal conditions, thebaine was effectively extracted from different matrices with recoveries in the range of 45–55%, which corresponded to preconcentration factors in the range of 90–110. Good linearity was achieved for calibration curves with a coefficient of estimation higher than 0.997. Detection limits and intra-day precision (n = 3) were less than 15 μg L⁻¹ and 8.9%, respectively.     

Application of Self-Assembled Monolayers in the Preparation of Solid-Phase Microextraction Coatings

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of polyaminithiophenol (PATP) were used as a covalent bonded coating for solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Thiolated aniline-analog monomers (mixture of 2- and 3-aminothiophenols, 2/3-ATP) were anchored on the gold surface and then electropolymerized. Due to the strong S?CAu bond, thiol-terminated coating on the gold surface was very stable. The proposed covalent bonded coating showed higher mechanical (re-usability up to 100 times) and thermal stability (up to 320???C) than non-covalent bonded polyaniline coating (re-usability up to 20 times and thermal stability up to 250???C). The extraction capability of the proposed fiber for the extraction of five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene, 9,10-dimethylanthracene and benzo[??]anthracene was examined. The effects of different parameters influencing the extraction efficiency of analytes including extraction temperature, extraction time, ionic strength, stirring rate and sample volume were examined and optimized. Linear ranges of 1?C250???g?L^?1 for phenanthrene and anthracene, and 1?C100???g L^?1 for the other compounds were obtained. Detection limits were in the range of 0.1?C0.32???g?L^?1. Single fiber repeatability and fiber to fiber reproducibility were less than 8.9 and 15.8%, respectively. Seawater sample was analyzed as real sample and good recoveries (81?C108%) were obtained for target analytes.