Durian waste mediated green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and evaluation of their antibacterial,antioxidant, cytotoxicity and photocatalytic activity

ABSTRACT

The synthesized ZnO NPs using durian rind in solution has shown maximum absorption at 355.5?nm with the bandgap of 3.33?eV, spectrophotometrically. SEM and TEM studies revealed that the shape of the synthesized ZnO NPs was spherical with an average size of 280 and 283?nm, respectively. However, DLS analysis of ZnO NPs revealed the average particle size of 456?d.nm. The presence of [100], [002], [101], [102], [110], [103], [200], [112] and [201] planes in XRD corroborate the formation of pure wurtzite structure of ZnO NPs. Synthesized ZnO NPs showed remarkable photocatalytic activity on degradation of methylene blue and sulfanilamide, antioxidant activity, considerable antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and considerable cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp. The sulfanilamide degradation was found to be 96.70%, under natural sunlight and in the presence of 0.1% ZnO NPs at pH 10 with a time of 3?h. The dye degradation was found to be 84% under sunlight in the presence of 0.01% ZnO NPs at pH 10 with a time of 40?min. The synthesized ZnO NPs may be explored furthermore in the fields of wastewater treatment, biomedicine, biosensor, and nanotechnology.     

Reactivity and spectroscopy of the {Ru(DMAP)5} fragment: an {Ru(NH3)5} analogue

Reaction of trans-Ru(DMSO)4Cl2 with DMAP (DMAP = 4-dimethylaminopyridine) yields the yellow [Ru(DMAP)6](2+) cation in good yield. The crystal and molecular structure of [Ru(DMAP)6]Cl2.6CH3CH2OH was determined by X-ray diffraction methods. The complex crystallizes in the trigonal R3 space group with a = b = 16.373(1), c = 20.311(1) A, gamma = 120 degrees , and Z = 3 molecules per unit cell. The reaction of [Ru(DMAP)6](2+) in aerobic water gives the red [Ru(III)(DMAP)5(OH)](2+) cation. This complex shows a chemical behavior similar to [Ru(III)(NH3)5Cl](2+) and allows the preparation of a family of [Ru(DMAP)5L](n+) complexes. Their electronic properties indicate that the {Ru(II)(DMAP)5} fragment is a weaker pi-donor than {Ru(II)(NH 3)5}. Our density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that in {Ru(II)(DMAP)5} the DMAP ligands can compete for the pi electron density of the ruthenium making the fragment a weaker pi-donor.     

Visualizing the mode of action and supramolecular assembly of teixobactin analogues in Bacillus subtilis

Teixobactin has been the source of intensive study and interest as a promising antibiotic, because of its excellent activity against drug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens and its novel but not yet fully understood mechanism of action that precludes drug resistance. Recent studies have demonstrated that the mode of action of teixobactin is more complicated than initially thought, with supramolecular assembly of the antibiotic appearing to play a critical role in the binding process. Further studies of the interactions of teixobactin with bacteria and its molecular targets offer the promise of providing deeper insights into its novel mechanism of action and guiding the design of additional drug candidates and analogues. The current study reports the preparation and study of teixobactin analogues bearing a variety of fluorophores. Structured illumination microscopy of the fluorescent teixobactin analogues with B. subtilis enables super-resolution visualization of the interaction of teixobactin with bacterial cell walls and permits the observation of aggregated clusters of the antibiotic on the bacteria. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy further elucidates the supramolecular assembly by showing that fluorescent teixobactin molecules co-localize within a few nanometers on B. subtilis. Fluorescence microscopy over time with a fluorescent teixobactin analogue and propidium iodide in B. subtilis reveals a correlation between cell death and binding of the antibiotic to cellular targets, followed by lysis of cells. Collectively, these studies provide new insights into the binding of teixobactin to Gram-positive bacteria, its supramolecular mechanism of action, and the lysis of bacteria that follows.

FRET microscopy experiments demonstrate supramolecular assembly of teixobactin molecules on Bacillus subtilis, providing further evidence that teixobactin is a supramolecular antibiotic.     

Octahedral to Cuboctahedral Shape Transition in 6 nm Pt3Ni Nanocrystals for Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysis

Pt₃Ni stands as one of the most active electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The activity varies with the morphology of the nanocrystals with a high activity observed for the octahedral shape where only the high density {111} crystallographic planes are exposed. Herein, the synthesis of 6 nm Pt₃Ni octahedral nanocrystals with a Pt enriched shell or cuboctahedral nanocrystals with a Ni enriched shell is described. Interestingly, the cuboctahedral nanocrystals display a six-pointed star/skeleton of platinum, which features a very uncommon atomic distribution. In the synthesis, a decrease in the oxygen partial pressure induces the transition from octahedral to cuboctahedral morphology. The octahedral and cuboctahedral nanocrystals both demonstrate high ORR activity (1.1 mA cm⁻²_Pt and 1.2 A mg⁻¹_Pt at 0.9 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) are the highest values obtained for PtNi-20 and PtNi-15, respectively). After exposure to oxidative conditions in the acidic electrolyte, the cuboctahedral nanoparticles with a pristine Ni-rich skin show a Pt skin and retain their cuboctahedral morphology.     

Interview with Prof. Dr. Benjamin List: Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2021

In an interview with Benjamin List, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, members of the Young Chemists’ Network (JCF) of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) asked him about his science, his career, and the academic system. Benjamin List, Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Germany, was awarded the Nobel Prize together with David W. C. MacMillan (Princeton University, USA) for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis. After studying chemistry at the Free University of Berlin, he received his doctorate from Goethe University in Frankfurt. He discovered the amino acid proline to be an efficient catalyst and thus co-founded the field of organocatalysis. In 2016, he received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, which is considered the most important research award in Germany.     

Development of a fast capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of propranolol—Total analysis time reduction strategies

The aim of this study was to develop a fast capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of propranolol in pharmaceutical preparations. In the method development the pH and constituents of the background electrolyte were selected using the effective mobility versus pH curves. Benzylamine was used as the internal standard. The background electrolyte was composed of 60 mmol L⁻¹ tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and 30 mmol L⁻¹ 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, at pH 8.1. Separation was conducted in a fused-silica capillary (32 cm total length and 8.5 cm effective length, 50 μm I.D.) with a short-end injection configuration and direct UV detection at 214 nm. The run time was only 14 s. Three different strategies were studied in order to develop a fast CE method with low total analysis time for propranolol analysis: low flush time (Lflush) 35 runs/h, without flush (Wflush) 52 runs/h, and Invert (switched polarity) 45 runs/h. Since the three strategies developed are statistically equivalent, Wflush was selected due to the higher analytical frequency in comparison with the other methods. A few figures of merit of the proposed method include: good linearity (R² > 0.9999); limit of detection of 0.5 mg L⁻¹; inter-day precision better than 1.03% (n = 9) and recovery in the range of 95.1–104.5%.     

Dihalogen-halogenomethyl complexes of indium(III) X2InCH2X (X = Br, I): Simultaneous coordination of soft and hard ligands

Halogenomethyl-dihalogen-indium(III) compounds X₂InCH₂X (X = Br, I) obtained from indium monohalides and methylene dihalides were reacted with the soft donor ligands dialkylsulfides, R₂S (R = CH₃, CH₂Ph) to afford the corresponding dialkylsulfonium methylide complexes of InX₃, X₃InCH₂SR₂ (X = Br, R = CH₃, 1; X = I, R = CH₃, 2; X= I, R = CH₂Ph, 3). Compound 1 was reacted with the hard donor ligands dimethylsulfoxide or triphenylphosphine oxide to give the corresponding 1:1 adduct, Br₃(L)InCH₂S(CH₃)₂ (L = (CH₃)₂SO, 4; L = (C₆H₅)₃PO, 5). Compounds 1-5 were fully characterized in solution by NMR spectroscopy and in the solid state by X-ray methods.     

Electrochemical deposition of poly[ethylene-dioxythiophene] (PEDOT) films on ITO electrodes for organic photovoltaic cells: control of morphology,thickness, and electronic properties

In this article, controlled changes on morphology, thickness, and band gap of poly[ethylenedioxythiophene] (PEDOT) polymer films fabricated by electrochemical polymerization (potentiostatically) are analyzed. Electropolymerization of the monomer ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) was carried out on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes, in different dry organic electrolytic media, such as acetonitrile, acetonitrile–dichloromethane, and toluene–acetonitrile mixtures. It was found that electropolymerization kinetics can be controlled by changing the polarity of the electrolytic media, and kinetics is slower for those with low polarity. This fact combined with an accurate control of EDOT monomer concentration and electropolymerization at E_peak/2 potential, allows to control the morphology and thickness of the electropolymerized PEDOT films (E-PEDOT:ClO₄); toluene/ACN (4:1, v/v) and [EDOT]?=?0.3 mM gave the best films for application in organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. The performance of the E-PEDOT:ClO₄ films was tested on ITO electrodes as anode buffer layer in OPV cells with the configuration ITO/E-PEDOT:ClO₄/P3HT:PC₆₁BM/Field’s metal, where Field’s metal (cathode) is a eutectic alloy that lets to fabricate OPV devices easily and in a fast and economical way at free vacuum conditions. The performance of these devices was compared with an OPV device constructed with a buffer layer anode, prepared using the classical spin coating of PEDOT:PSS on ITO. Results showed that OPV cells fabricated with E-PEDOT:ClO₄ have a slightly increased PV performance.     

A novel blue magnesium strontium aluminate-based phosphor for PDP application

A novel blue light-emitting phosphor, Eu²⁺-doped magnesium strontium aluminate (MgSrAl₁₀O₁₇:Eu²⁺), for plasma display panel (PDP) application was developed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns disclosed that the phosphor annealed at 1500 °C for 5 h was a pure MgSrAl₁₀O₁₇ phase. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images showed the particle size of the phosphor was less than 3 μm. The phosphor shows strong and broad blue emission under vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light excitation. After baking at 400-600 °C and irradiation with VUV light for 300 h, the phosphor still keep excellent VUV luminescence properties exhibiting good stability against high temperature baking and VUV irradiation. The decay time was short as 1.09 μs and the quantum yield was high to 0.77±0.02. All the characteristics indicated that MgSrAl₁₀O₁₇:Eu²⁺ would be a promising blue phosphor for PDP application.