Cooling-Assisted Headspace Hollow Fiber-Based Liquid-Phase Microextraction Setup for Direct Determination of PAHs in Solid Samples by Using Volatile Solvents

To reinforce the extraction efficiency of the liquid- and solid-phase microextraction methods, different cooling-assisted setups have been employed, most of which are complicated, expensive, tedious, and do not show good performances due to indirect transfer of cold to the extraction phase. In this research, a simple, low-cost and effective cooling-assisted headspace hollow fiber-based liquid-phase microextraction (CA-HS-HF-LPME) device was fabricated and evaluated, which is able to directly cool down the extraction phase in different modes of LPME. It was coupled to GC-FID and utilized for the direct determination of PAHs in contaminated soil samples using volatile organic solvents. Different effective experimental variables including type and volume of extraction solvent, extraction time and temperature, and temperature of the cooled organic solvent were evaluated and optimized. Under the optimized experimental conditions (e.g., organic extracting solvent: 3 µL of acetone; extraction time: 20 min; extraction temperature: 90 °C; and temperature of cooled organic drop: −25 °C), good linearity of calibration curves (R ² > 0.99) was obtained in a concentration range of 1–10,000 ng g⁻¹. The limits of detection (LODs) were obtained over the range of 0.01–0.1 ng g⁻¹. The relative standard deviations (RSD%, n = 6) of 0.1 µg g⁻¹ PAHs were found to be 4.7–10.1 %. The CA-HS-HF-LPME-GC-FID method was successfully used for the direct determination of PAHs in contaminated soil and plant samples, with no sample manipulation. The results were in agreement with those obtained by a validated ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction (UA-SE) method.

     

Four-component synthesis of ferrocene-containing 1,3,4-oxadiazoles from N-isocyaniminotriphenylphosphorane (Ph3PNNC), a primary amine,a cyclic ketone and ferrocene carboxylic acid

The 1:1 imine intermediate created by the addition of a primary amine to a cyclic ketone is trapped by N-isocyaniminotriphenylphosphorane (Ph₃PNNC) in the presence of ferrocene carboxylic acid and the corresponding iminophosphorane intermediate was formed. Afterwards, ferrocene containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives are formed via intramolecular aza-Wittig reaction of the iminophosphorane intermediate. The reaction proceeded under mild conditions at room temperature.     

Antimicrobial activity of PVC-pyrazolone-silver nanocomposites

Poly(vinyl chloride)-pyrazolone; PVC-pz as a new modified form of PVC with high antibacterial and antifungal activities towards some Gram +ve bacteria S. Aureus, B. Subtilis and S. Faecalis) and Gram –ve bacteria (E. Coli, P. Aeruginosa and N. Gonorrhoeae) beside Candida albicans in addition to Aspragillus flavus as fungi has been synthesized in absence and in presence of silver-nanoparticles, AgNPs, in 3 and 5% by weight with respect to PVC. This was developed by a chemical reaction of PVC 1, and pyrazolone 2 in tetrahydrofuran, THF as solvent. PVC-pz derivative has been characterized by FTIR, ¹HNMR spectroscopic analyses, in addition to scanning and transmission electronic microscopy. Photostability of PVC-pz was evaluated by following the discoloration for UV- irradiated samples colorimetrically in accordance with degradation time. IR and ¹H-NMR analyses confirm that PVC-pz, 4 was formed indicating a substitution reaction of chlorine atoms of PVC chains to the hydrogen atom of active methylene and that attached to pyrazolone nitrogen at the same time. Antimicrobial activities of PVC-pz increased in the presence of AgNPs and with increasing its percentage.     

Synthesis,characterization and in vitro DNA binding studies of a new copper(II) complex containing an antiviral drug,valganciclovir

A new complex, [Cu(valcyte)₂(NO₃)₂], in which valcyte served as a valganciclovir drug, was synthesized and characterized by different physicochemical methods. Optimization of ligand structures and their complexes with Cu²⁺ were performed by semi-empirical and DFT methods. Binding interaction of this complex with calf-thymus DNA (ct-DNA) was explored by emission, absorption, circular dichroism and viscosity techniques. Additionally, cell line targeting was studied and cytotoxic effects of [Cu(valcyte)₂(NO₃)₂] (0.0–160 μg) on AGS and MCF-7 cell lines were reported. Percentage of Cell Viability and Apoptotic Index were assessed. The complex displayed significant binding properties to ct-DNA. Undertaking fluorometric studies, the binding mode of the complex with ct-DNA was explored utilizing Hoechst as a fluorescence probe, indicating the binding to be of groove mode. The DNA viscosity altered slightly in presence of the complex. Enthalpy and entropy changes during the interaction showed that the process is endothermic, with the complex mainly bound to ct-DNA by hydrophobic attraction. Values of ΔG revealed a spontaneous reaction between DNA and the complex. Optimized docked model of DNA–complex mixture confirmed the experimental results. The results of MMFF94 calculations indicated stability of [Cu(valcyte)₂(NO₃)₂] after docking with the modeled DNA profile, as compared to the DNA profile and valganciclovir results before the docking process. Cytotoxicity studies showed that an increase in [Cu(valcyte)₂(NO₃)₂] may result in a significant decrease in cell viability and increase apoptosis index in the treated cells, as compared to valganciclovir treated cells (p < 0.05). The findings further showed that [Cu(valcyte)₂(NO₃)₂] has potential for use in cancer therapy.     

A combined theoretical and thermal analysis study on the solid state linkage isomerization of Ni(II)-nitrite complexes with ethylenediamine derivatives*

Solid state stepwise nitro–nitrito linkage isomerization of trans-[dinitrobis(ethylenediamine)nickel(II)], [Ni(en)₂(NO₂)₂] (N,N-en), trans-[dinitrobis(N,N′-dimethylethylenediamine)nickel(II)], [Ni(N,N′-dmen)₂(NO₂)₂] (N,N-dmen), and trans-[dinitritobis(N,N-dimethylethylenediamine)nickel(II)], [Ni(N,N-dmen)₂(ONO)₂] (O,O-udmen) were investigated by performing non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses and the thermodynamic and thermokinetic parameters of isomerization were determined using DSC curves. Both N,N-en and N,N-dmen DSC curves show an endothermic peak at elevated temperatures, attributed to dinitro-to-dinitrito linkage isomerization. Similar exothermic peaks were observed in the cooling cycle, assigned to the reverse dinitrito-to-dinitro isomerization. The O,O-udmen isomer is more stable than the corresponding dinitro one at ambient temperatures, but an exothermic dinitrito-to-dinitro isomerization occurs upon cooling down to ?70 °C and reverts endothermically to dinitrito isomer upon heating up to ambient temperature. The overlapping DSC peaks associated with stepwise linkage isomerization were resolved using nonlinear fitting method. The peak temperature and the enthalpy changes of linkage isomerization are inversely dependent on the steric hindrance provided by diamine ligands, which increases in the order udmen > dmen > en. The results showed that the steric factor of the co-ligands also influences the kinetic parameters of isomerization, so that more bulky ligand substituent leads to higher isomerization rate constants. A DFT and TD-DFT calculations have been carrid out on both dinitro complexes of this investigation .     

Synthesis,structural determination and HSA interaction studies of a new water-soluble Cu(II) complex derived from 1,10-phenanthroline and ranitidine drug

A new water-soluble Cu(II) complex containing ranitidine drug and 1,10-phenanthroline was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivity, spectroscopic and computational methods. In vitro human serum albumin (HSA)-interaction studies of Cu(II) complex were performed by employing fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with UV–vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies. The results of fluorescence titration showed that Cu(II) complex strongly quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA through a static quenching mechanism with an intrinsic binding constant (6.05 × 10⁴ M^?1) at 286 K. The thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS at different temperatures were calculated and suggested that the hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions play major roles in Cu(II) complex-HSA association. The displacement experiments using warfarin and ibuprofen as site I and II probes proved that the Cu(II) complex could bind to site I (subdomain IIA) of HSA. Finally, CD spectra indicated that the interaction of the Cu(II) complex with HSA leads to an increase in the α-helical content. The main result of this study was the finding that the binding affinity of the Cu(II) complex to HSA is three orders of magnitude stronger than that of ranitidine drug.     

Fabrication of inorganic alumina particles at nanoscale by a pulsed laser ablation technique in liquid and exploring their protein binding,anticancer and antipathogenic activities

The interaction of nanoparticles with biological systems can provide useful information about their therapeutic applications. The aluminum nanoparticles (Al₂O₃ NPs) were synthesized by laser ablation technique and well-characterized by different methods. Fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and molecular docking studies were employed to evaluate the effect of Al₂O₃ NPs on the protein structure. Growth inhibitory and apoptotic effects of the Al₂O₃ NPs against K562 cancer cells and lymphocyte cells were assessed using [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT), flow cytometry, and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The antipathogenic activity of Al₂O₃ NPs against a diverse range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens was explored through a disk diffusion method. The characterization techniques determined that the Al₂O₃ NPs were successfully synthesized in the nanoscales. Intrinsic, 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) and acrylamide fluorescence spectroscopy studies disclosed that Al₂O₃ NPs can partially change the tertiary structure of human serum albumin (HSA), whereas CD spectroscopy investigation depicted that the secondary structure of HSA remained intact. Molecular docking investigation also manifest that the Al₂O₃ nano-clusters preferably bind to electrostatic residues. Al₂O₃ NPs exhibited promising and selective anticancer features through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, apoptosis induction, and elevation of Bax/Bcl-2 mRNA ratio. Furthermore, the Al₂O₃ NP showed a remarkable antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens. In conclusion, it may be suggested that the synthesized Al₂O₃ NPs can be integrated in the development of anticancer and antipathogenic agents.     

Certain decompositions of matrices over Abelian rings

A ring R is (weakly) nil clean provided that every element in R is the sum of a (weak) idempotent and a nilpotent. We characterize nil and weakly nil matrix rings over abelian rings. Let R be abelian, and let n ∈ ?. We prove that M ⁿ (R) is nil clean if and only if R/J(R) is Boolean and M _n (J(R)) is nil. Furthermore, we prove that R is weakly nil clean if and only if R is periodic; R/J(R) is ?₃, B or ?₃ ⊕ B where B is a Boolean ring, and that M _n (R) is weakly nil clean if and only if M _n (R) is nil clean for all n ≥ 2.     

Recent Progress in Polyaniline and its Composites for Supercapacitors

Polyaniline (PANI) has piqued the interest of nanotechnology researchers due to its potential as an electrode material for supercapacitors. Despite its ease of synthesis and ability to be doped with a wide range of materials, PANI′s poor mechanical properties have limited its use in practical applications. To address this issue, researchers investigated using PANI composites with materials with highly specific surface areas, active sites, porous architectures, and high conductivity. The resulting composite materials have improved energy storage performance, making them promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. Here, we provide an overview of recent developments in PANI-based supercapacitors, focusing on using electrochemically active carbon and redox-active materials as composites. We discuss challenges and opportunities of synthesizing PANI-based composites for supercapacitor applications. Furthermore, we provide theoretical insights into the electrical properties of PANI composites and their potential as active electrode materials. The need for this review stems from the growing interest in PANI-based composites to improve supercapacitor performance. By examining recent progress in this field, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art and potential of PANI-based composites for supercapacitor applications. This review adds value by highlighting challenges and opportunities associated with synthesizing and utilizing PANI-based composites, thereby guiding future research directions.