Thermal and pH Dual Responsive Copolymer and Silver Nanoparticle Composite for Catalytic Application

N‐Isopropylacrylamide and vinyl imidazole copolymer, P(NIPAM‐co‐VI), was synthesized by free radical emulsion polymerization. Then, the copolymer and silver nanoparticle composite, P(NIPAM‐co‐VI)‐Ag, was prepared by in situ reduction of AgNO₃ with NaBH₄. Due to the coexistence of thermal‐responsive PNIPAM and pH‐responsive PVI, P(NIPAM‐co‐VI) and P(NIPAM‐co‐VI)‐Ag exhibited both thermal and pH responsibility, their size would change while altering the temperature or pH of the circumvent. Their thermal and pH dual responsive properties were studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS). P(NIPAM‐co‐VI)‐Ag could be stably dispersed in water at a pH range from 3.0 to 9.3, which is favorable to use P(NIPAM‐co‐VI)‐Ag as a catalyst in the reduction reaction of p‐nitrophenol. The reaction rate constant (k_app) increased with the decrease of pH or the increase of VI content in the copolymer.     

Novel 1,2,3,4‐Tetrahydroquinazolinones via Reaction of 2‐Amino‐N‐substituted Benzamides and Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

Reaction of 2‐amino‐N‐substituted benzamides and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) in the presence of 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec‐7‐ene (DBU) in H₂O at room temperature led to the formation of novel 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinazolinones.     

Copper/Graphene/Clay Nanohybrid: A Highly Efficient Heterogeneous Nanocatalyst for the Synthesis of Novel 1,2,3‐Triazolyl Carboacyclic Nucleosides via ‘Click’ Huisgen 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition

A very mild and highly efficient synthesis of some novel 1H‐1,2,3‐triazolyl carboacyclic nucleosides via a ‘Click’ Huisgen cycloaddition of N‐propargyl nucleobases and azido alcohols using Cu/aminoclay/reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid (Cu/AC/r‐GO nanohybrid) as nanocatalyst is described. The preparation and characterization of Cu/AC/r‐GO nanohybrid are discussed. This catalyst was characterized by X‐ray diffraction, FT‐IR, TEM, and energy‐dispersive analysis of X‐ray techniques. Cu/AC/r‐GO nanohybrid is a stable and highly efficient heterogeneous nanocatalyst that can be easily prepared, used, and restored from the reaction mixture by simple filtration, and reused for many consecutive trials without significant decrease in activity.     

Microwave‐Assisted Catalyst Free Three Component Synthesis of Mono and Bis Spiro Pyrazolopyridines in Solvent Free Reaction

Multicomponent synthesis of mono and bis‐spiro pyrazolopyridines from isatin derivatives, indanedione, and 3‐methyl‐5‐aminopyrazole under microwave irradiation in the absence of any catalyst or solvent with high yield and short reaction time is reported.     

Influence of thermal annealing on the structural and optical properties of maghemite (γ‐Fe2O3) nanoparticle thin films

In this study, maghemite (γ‐Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles were initially synthesized via chemical co‐precipitation and then deposited by spray pyrolysis as thin films on white glass substrates. The thin films were annealed for 8 h at 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 °C in an oven. The structural studies of maghemite nanoparticles were carried out using X‐ray diffractometer. Structural properties that we investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, SEM, and Energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDS). Optical properties of the samples were also investigated by ultraviolet‐visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The results showed that maghemite nanoparticles have crystalline structure with domain that increases in size with increasing annealing temperature. The optical band gap values were found to reduce from 2.9 to 2.4 eV with increase in annealing temperature. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.