Facile synthesis of highly substituted 2-pyrone derivatives via a tandem Knoevenagel condensation/lactonization reaction of β-formyl-esters and 1,3-cyclohexadiones

A mild and efficient tandem process for the synthesis of new highly substituted 2-pyrones starting from commercially available 2-arylacetic acids has been developed. The synthesis is based on the Knoevenagel condensation of 1,3-cyclohexadiones with various β-formyl-esters, followed by lactonization in the presence of nano ZnO (20 mol %). Moderate to high yields and readily available cheap starting materials are the key features of the present method.     

A simple homemade spectrophotometer

A simple portable spectrophotometer was constructed and used to perform analytical experiments. The developed model uses available tools and materials such as light emitting diode lamps, compact discs, plastic and cardboard boxes and a cell phone camera to build a design that illustrates the major components of spectrophotometers. The spectra of serial concentrations of KMnO₄ (50?600 μM) were recorded and the values of absorbance were extracted at λ_max to build the calibration curve. A linear relationship between the concentration and absorbance was obtained with the coefficient of determination 0.994. The model was also utilized to study the spectra of KMnO₄, phenolphthalein and bromothymol blue in comparison with a Shimadzu UV-1800 spectrophotometer as a reference instrument. In spite of the differences in the observed spectra, the recorded λ_max were almost identical to those measured by the developed model. The model was successfully used to determine the concentration of sodium alendronate through ligand-exchange complexation with ferric salicylate.     

Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using Allium noeanum Reut. ex Regel leaves aqueous extract; characterization and analysis of their cytotoxicity,antioxidant, and antibacterial properties

Gold nanoparticles have unique and excellent medical and nonmedical properties and application compared with other metallic nanoparticles. Recently, they have been used for the prevention, control, and treatment of bacterial and fungal diseases. In the recent study, fresh and clean leaves of Allium noeanum Reut. ex Regel leaves have been used for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles. Also, we evaluated the cytotoxicity, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of HAuCl₄, A. noeanum, and the synthesized nanoparticles (Au NPs). These nanoparticles were analyzed by FT‐IR, UV, XRD, EDS, FE‐SEM, and TEM tests. FTIR results offered antioxidant compounds in the plant were the sources of reducing power, reducing gold ions to Au NPs. In TEM images revealed an average diameter of 10‐30 nm. At the beginning of biological experiments, DPPH free radical scavenging test was carried out to examine the antioxidant property. Also, in the bacterial part of this study, the concentration of HAuCl₄, A. noeanum, and AuNPs with minimum dilution and no turbidity was considered MIC. To determine MBC, 60 μL of MIC and three preceding chambers were cultured on Muller Hinton Agar. The minimum concentration with no bacterial growth was considered MBC. Au NPs revealed excellent antioxidant potential against DPPH, non‐toxicity property against human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and antibacterial activities against Streptococcus pneumonia, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella flexneri, and Escherichia coli O157:H7. These findings show that the inclusion of A. noeanum extract improves the solubility of Au NPs, which led to a notable enhancement in the antioxidant and antibacterial effects.     

Evaluation of Bookkeeper mass deacidification based on historical book papers

Cellulose - Bookkeeper, the most widely used deacidification process based on MgO particles, was systematically evaluated on two sets of nonvaluable historical paper samples. Established analytical...     

Dynamic Relative Permeability and Simulation of WAG Injection Processes

In this work, we investigate the impact of mobility changes due to flow reversals from co-current to counter-current flow on the displacement performance of water alternating gas (WAG) injection processes. In WAG processes, the injected gas will migrate toward the top of the formation while the injected water will migrate toward the bottom of the formation. The segregation of gas, oil and water phases will result in counter-current flow occurring in the vertical direction in some portions of the reservoir during the displacement process. Previous experimental and theoretical studies of counter-current flow have shown that the relative mobility of each of the phases in a porous medium is considerably less when counter-current flow prevails as compared to co-current flow settings. A reduction of the relative permeability in the vertical direction results in a dynamic anisotropy in phase mobilities. This effect has, to the best of our knowledge, not previously been considered in the modeling and simulation of WAG processes. A new flow model that accounts for flow reversals in the vertical direction has been implemented and tested in a three-phase compositional reservoir simulator. In order to investigate the impact of flow reversals, results from the new flow model are compared to cases where counter-current flow effects on the phase mobilities are ignored. A range of displacement settings, covering relevant slug sizes, have been investigated to gauge the impact of mobility reductions due to flow reversals. Significant differences, in terms of saturation distribution, producing GOR and oil recovery, are observed between the conventional flow model (ignoring mobility reductions due to counter-current flow) and the proposed new model that accounts for reductions in phase mobility during counter-current flow. Accordingly, we recommend that an explicit representation of flow transitions between co-current and counter-current flow (and the related impact on phase mobilities) should be considered to ensure accurate and optimal design of WAG injection processes.     

A quick and green ionic liquid-mediated approach for the synthesis of high-performance, organosoluble and thermally stable polyimides

Three diamine monomers with different derivatives of imidazole heterocyclic ring and meta-linked aryl ethers were synthesized and used in polycodensation reaction with various commercial dianhydrides for preparation of a series of novel poly(ether-imide) (PEI)s. The polycodensation reactions were carried out by using conventional method and in a green medium of ionic liquid (IL) without using NMP-pyridine-acetic anhydride. The PEIs were obtained in good yields (80% 96%) with moderate viscosity (0.48 0.66 dL/g) in a shorter reaction time (10 h) in IL as compared with the conventional method (36 h). All of the polymers were amorphous in nature, showed excellent solubility in amide-type polar aprotic solvents with ability to form tough and flexible films, and excellent thermal stability with Tgs in the range of 212 340 ℃ and 10% weight loss temperature (T10) up to 570℃ in N 2 and 528 ℃ in air.     

Investigation of the solubilization of car-emitted Pt,Pd and Rh in street dust and spiked soil samples

A sequential extraction procedure (three-step), proposed by the Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (formerly BCR) of the European Union, was applied to street dust and spiked soil samples for the determination of PGEs. Analyses were carried out using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results indicate that up to 5% from Pt, 70% from Pd and 14% from Rh are in mobile forms in street dust. The results for the soil samples spiked with crushed catalytic converter are significantly lower indicating that PGEs are oxidised more efficiently in natural conditions. Additionally Pt and Pd bound to humic acids were investigated.