Magnesium azaphthalocyanines: an emerging family of excellent red-emitting fluorophores

Magnesium(II), zinc(II), and metal-free phthalocyanines (Pcs) and azaphthalocyanines (AzaPcs) containing alkylsulfanyl, aryloxy, and dialkylamino peripheral substituents have been synthesized. The complexation of magnesium(II) by metal-free Pcs and AzaPcs has been studied in detail to determine the optimal reaction conditions necessary to ensure a complete conversion. Photophysical and photochemical measurements in tetrahydrofuran showed that magnesium(II) AzaPcs with aryloxy and alkylsulfanyl substituents have excellent fluorescent properties (Φ(F) up to 0.73) and that the corresponding zinc(II) Pcs are efficient singlet oxygen producers (Φ(Δ) up to 0.68). The presence of dialkylamino substituents causes intramolecular charge transfer within the molecule that competes with fluorescence and singlet oxygen formation. Alkylsulfanyl MgAzaPc and ZnAzaPc were the most photostable compounds among the series of studied derivatives. In addition, high molar absorption coefficients (ε ～ 300,000 M(-1) cm(-1)), absorption (λ(max) ～ 650 nm), and emission (λ(em) ～ 660 nm, high Φ(F)) in the red region suggest that these molecules are potential fluorescent probes that are superior to the commercial red cyanine dye Cy5. MgAzaPc, when incorporated into lipidic bilayers of liposomes, maintains excellent fluorescence properties (Φ(F) = 0.64). Water-soluble MgAzaPc with quaternary ammonium peripheral substituents retained a high fluorescence quantum yield even in water (Φ(F) = 0.25). The described properties show that magnesium(II) AzaPcs are excellent red-emitting fluorophores with potential applications as fluorescent probes in sensing or in vitro imaging applications.     

Oxidation of propane over ammonium-transition metal mixed keggin phosphomolybdate salts

Mixed ammonium-transition metal salts with formula of (NH4)xMyHzPMo12O40 (M = Ni2+, Co2+ or Fe 3+) denoted as MPMo12 have been investigated for the oxidation of propane, with molecular oxygen, at temperature range between 380℃ and 420℃ after in-situ pre-treatment performed at two heating rate of 5 or 9℃/min. They were characterized by BET method, XRD, UV-Vis and IR techniques. The catalysts were found to be active in the propane oxidation and selective to propene or acrolein, in particular for samples pre-t...     

Preparation and characterization of standard reference material 1849 infant/adult nutritional formula

Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1849 Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula has been issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a replacement for SRM 1846 Infant Formula, issued in 1996. Extraction characteristics of SRM 1846 have changed over time, as have NIST's analytical capabilities. While certified mass fraction values were provided for five constituents in SRM 1846 (four vitamins plus iodine), certified mass fraction values for 43 constituents are provided in SRM 1849 (fatty acids, elements, and vitamins) and reference mass fraction values are provided for an additional 43 constituents including amino acids and nucleotides, making it the most extensively characterized food-matrix SRM available from NIST.     

Synthesis of ciprofloxacin-based compounds: A review

Ciprofloxacin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that plays an important role in inhibiting the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Medicinal chemists are extensively involved in the synthesis of novel ciprofloxacin derivatives, in search of new ciprofloxacin-based drugs with enhanced activity. This review article summarizes the major synthetic approaches involved in the synthesis of ciprofloxacin-based molecules.     

Preparation and dispersion stability of aqueous metal oxide nanofluids for potential heat transfer applications: a review of experimental studies

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Nanofluids have recently attracted attention of many researchers due to their growing potential applications in heat transfer devices. They possess...     

Determination of Lambda-Cyhalothrin and Malathion Residues in Locust by Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detection

Journal of Analytical Chemistry - A reliable, easy, and reproducible method was developed for the quantification of λ-cyhalothrin and malathion residues in desert locust. For the extraction, a...     

A Critical Review on Pulsed Electric Field: A Novel Technology for the Extraction of Phytoconstituents

Different parts of a plant (seeds, fruits, flower, leaves, stem, and roots) contain numerous biologically active compounds called “phytoconstituents” that consist of phenolics, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins. The conventional techniques applied to extract these phytoconstituents have several drawbacks including poor performance, low yields, more solvent use, long processing time, and thermally degrading by-products. In contrast, modern and advanced extraction nonthermal technologies such as pulsed electric field (PEF) assist in easier and efficient identification, characterization, and analysis of bioactive ingredients. Other advantages of PEF include cost-efficacy, less time, and solvent consumption with improved yields. This review covers the applications of PEF to obtain bioactive components, essential oils, proteins, pectin, and other important materials from various parts of the plant. Numerous studies compiled in the current evaluation concluded PEF as the best solution to extract phytoconstituents used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. PEF-assisted extraction leads to a higher yield, utilizes less solvents and energy, and it saves a lot of time compared to traditional extraction methods. PEF extraction design should be safe and efficient enough to prevent the degradation of phytoconstituents and oils.     

A local boundary condition coupled to a finite element method to compute guided modes of optical fibres under the weak guidance assumptions

An efficient method coupling a local boundary condition to a finite element technique is proposed to compute guided modes of optical fibres under the weak guidance assumptions. This method is designed to provide accurate solutions for optical fibres with no restriction on their shape as well as on their refractive index profile. Several numerical experiments are performed to demonstrate this point. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Small amplitude dust-acoustic soliton energy in dusty plasmas with suprathermal polarization force

The effect of suprathermal polarization force on both linear and weakly nonlinear dust-acoustic solitary structures in a three-component dusty plasma is investigated. For this purpose, a new expression of the polarization force acting on dust particles that include the electronic suprathermal effect is derived. The results are applied to two different experimental dusty plasmas. We have found that the polarization force acting on the dust grains decreases as the electron suprathermality becomes more significant. In addition, we have shown that, for a given value of the spectral index κ , the polarization force magnitude fluctuates from one plasma to another. The changes arising in the propagation of small-amplitude dust-acoustic (DA) solitons due to the presence of this suprathermal polarization force are also analysed. Interestingly, an increase in the magnitude of the polarization force leads to an increase in the amplitude and width of DA soliton and provides more energy to the motion of this soliton.