Synthesis of Benzoxazoles Catalyzed by MCM-41, a Green and Reusable Catalyst

Benzoxazoles can be rapidly and efficiently synthesized from acyl chloride with 2-aminophenols in one simple step, which provided a practical and efficient method for high-throughput synthesis of this important class of heterocyclic compounds.     

A branch-and-price algorithm for a vehicle routing with demand allocation problem

We investigate the vehicle routing with demand allocation problem where the decision-maker jointly optimizes the location of delivery sites, the assignment of customers to (preferably convenient) delivery sites, and the routing of vehicles operated from a central depot to serve customers at their designated sites. We propose an effective branch-and-price (B&P) algorithm that is demonstrated to greatly outperform the use of commercial branch-and-bound/cut solvers such as CPLEX. Central to the efficacy of the proposed B&P algorithm is the development of a specialized dynamic programming procedure that extends works on elementary shortest path problems with resource constraints in order to solve the more complex column generation pricing subproblem. Our computational study demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed approach using a set of 60 problem instances. Moreover, the proposed methodology has the merit of providing optimal solutions in run times that are significantly shorter than those reported for decomposition-based heuristics in the literature.     

Supported Palladium Oxide Nanoparticles in SBA‐15 as a Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols

Palladium nanoparticles were first synthesized through the thermal decomposition method and subsequently immobilized on ordered mesoporous silica material, SBA‐15, to afford PdO/SBA‐15 catalyst. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption‐desorption measurement, transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The catalytic activity was tested for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols. Easy recovery, high yeilds and relatively short reaction times were observed for the mentioned catalyst.     

Scaled‐up,selective and green synthesis of sulfoxides under mild conditions using (CeIII‐MoVI)Ox/aniline hybrid rods as an efficient catalyst

A novel hybrid material, (Ce^III‐Mo^VI)O_x/aniline, with rod‐like morphology is synthesized through a wet chemical method using Mo₃O₁₀(C₆H₅NH₃)₂.2H₂O nanowires as precursor. The synthesized materials are characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, FTIR, Raman, UV–Vis, TGA, and elemental analysis. Also, their catalytic activities as a hybrid catalyst are tested in the selective oxidation of sulfides using hydrogen peroxide as a green oxidant. The proposed novel hybrid catalyst shows an excellent performance under green conditions at mild temperature. Furthermore, the scalability of the oxidation reaction is shown by making multi‐gram quantities at optimized conditions.     

An efficient three-component reaction involving [3 + 1 + 1] furannulation leading to furanonaphthoquinones in water

An efficient and clean green synthesis of highly substituted linear naphtho[2,3-b]-furan-4,9-dione derivatives, starting from 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, alkyl isocyanides and a variety of aldehydes, is described. This new method provides the first example of an efficient regioselective synthetic method for the synthesis of linear naphtho[2,3-b]-furan-4,9-dione ring systems by formation of three bonds. This [3 + 1 + 1] furannulation strategy affords furanonaphthoquinones in moderate to high yields, using water as a cheap, non-toxic, environmentally friendly solvent, in a one-step reaction, without the need of complicated work-up procedures. Correspondence: Mohammad Bagher Teimouri, Petrochemical Department, Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute, P.O. Box 14965-115, Tehran, Iran.     

The effects of olibanum administered to methimazole-treated dams during lactation on learning and memory of offspring rats

The effect of olibanum administered during lactation to methimazole-treated dams on the learning of offspring was evaluated. The animals were treated for 60 days from the first day of lactation period: group 1--tap water, group 2-0.03% methimazole and groups 3 and 4-0.03% methimazole with 0.25% or 0.125% olibanum, respectively. The serum thyroxin level in the offspring of group 2 was significantly lower than that of group 1. However, there was no difference compared to groups 3 and 4. In a Morris water maze, the distance and time latency to reach the platform in offspring of group 2 was significantly higher than groups 1, 3 and 4. In probe trial, the time spent in target quadrant (Q?) by offspring of group 2 was lower than groups 1,?3 and 4. It is suggested that impaired learning and memory in the offspring of hypothyroid rats may be prevented by olibanum.     

Ultrasonic assisted headspace single drop micro-extraction and gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detector for determination of organophosphorus pesticides in soil

This work describes optimization of headspace single drop micro-extraction for extraction of five organophosphorus pesticides; thionazin, sulfotep, dimethoate, disulfoton and parathion in soil. Ultrasound has also been used successfully to improve and accelerate the extraction of the analytes from the sample. The optimized extraction performance was obtained when the experimental parameters were set as follows; 3.0 μL of octanol as extraction solvent, high ionic strength (20% sodium chloride), 1:1 (w/v) sample dilution with water, extraction temperature at 60 °C for 30 min; applying ultrasound and without any pH adjustment. The optimized method was linear over the calibration range (5–200 and 10–300 for different analytes) with limits of detection of 0.1–2.0 ng g⁻¹. The enrichment factor for OPPs was 1.4–12.7 and the method was also reproducible with the relative standard deviations (RSD%) of 2.1–6.9%.     

Physical–chemical hybrid transiency: A fully transient li‐ion battery based on insoluble active materials

Transient Li‐ion batteries based on polymeric constituents are presented, exhibiting a twofold increase in the potential and approximately three orders of magnitude faster transiency rate compared to other transient systems reported in the literature. The battery takes advantage of a close variation of the active materials used in conventional Li‐ion batteries and can achieve and maintain a potential of >2.5 V. All materials are deposited form polymer‐based emulsions and the transiency is achieved through a hybrid approach of redispersion of insoluble, and dissolution of soluble components in approximately 30 min. The presented proof of concept has paramount potentials in military and hardware security applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 2021–2027     

In vitro bioactivity of essential oils and methanol extracts of Salvia reuterana from Iran

The chemical composition of the essential oils, antioxidant activity (DPPH and beta-carotene/linoleic acid assays) and total phenolic content (Foline-Ciocalteu) of the flowers and leaves of Salvia reuterana were determined. Essential oils extracted from the flowers and leaves by hydrodistillation were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Forty-four constituents, representing 99.7-99.9% of the oils, were identified. The major components were germacrene D, benzoic acid hexyl ester, bicyclogermacrene, beta-gurjunene and ishwarene, constituting 33.7-31.9% of the oils. The highest radical-scavenging activity (DPPH test) was shown by the methanol extract of the flowers (IC50 = 77.6 microg/mL). In the beta-carotene/linoleic acid assay, the methanol extract of the leaves showed the highest inhibition (40.3%) which was only slightly lower than that shown by BHT (82.9%). The total phenolic contents of the methanol extracts of the flowers and leaves as gallic acid equivalents were 81.4 and 88.3 microg/mg, respectively. The plant also showed good antimicrobial activity against three strains of tested microorganisms.     

Gold Electrode Modified with Self‐Assembled Monolayer of Cysteamine‐Functionalized MWCNT and Its Application in Simultaneous Determination of Dopamine and Uric Acid

The voltammetric behavior of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) on a gold electrode modified with self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) of cysteamine (CA) conjugated with functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was investigated. The film modifier of functionalized SAM was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and also, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using para‐hydroquinone (PHQ) as a redox probe. For the binary mixture of DA and UA, the voltammetric signals of these two compounds can be well separated from each other, allowing simultaneous determination of DA and UA. The effect of various experimental parameters on the voltammetric responses of DA and UA was investigated. The detection limit in differential pulse voltammetric determinations was obtained as 0.02 µM and 0.1 µM for DA and UA, respectively. The prepared modified electrode indicated a stable behavior and the presence of surface COOH groups of the functionalized MWCNT avoided the passivation of the electrode surface during the electrode processes. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of DA and UA in urine samples with satisfactory results. The response of the gold electrode modified with MWCNT‐functionalized SAM method toward DA, UA, and ascorbic acid (AA) oxidation was compared with the response of the modified electrode prepared by the direct casting of MWCNT.