Thermoanalytical investigations of niobium(V) chloride aryloxides

Niobium(V) chloride aryloxides [NbCl₃(OAr)₂] and [NbCl₂(OAr)₃] (Oar = —OC₆H₄Bu ^t -4 and —OC₆H₄OMe-4) have been prepared by reacting NbCl₅ with two and three equivalents of the respective phenol in CCl₄. The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, molecular weight determination, i.r., ¹H-n.m.r., u.v.–vis. and MS techniques. Thermal behaviour (t.g.–d.t.) of the complexes has also been studied and decomposition schemes proposed. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters namely, the activation energy 'E ^*', the frequency factor 'A', entropy of activation 'S' and specific rate constant 'kr' etc. have been calculated employing the Coats–Redfern equation. The non-isothermal t.g. data has also been utilized to determine the most probable mechanism and corresponding activation energy for the decomposition of niobium(V) complexes by testing seven different theoretically possible decomposition mechanisms.     

Rapid ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of oxcarbazepine and its metabolite in human plasma

A rapid and sensitive ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay was developed for the simultaneous analysis of oxcarbazepine and its main metabolite in human plasma. The assay involves a simple solid‐phase extraction procedure of 0.3 mL of human plasma and analysis was performed on a triple‐quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode via electrospray ionization. Separation was achieved on an Acquity UPLC™ BEH C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm, i.d., 1.7 µm) with isocratic elution at a flow‐rate of 0.25 mL/min and imipramine was used as the internal standard. The standard calibration curve was linear over the range 9.580–5070.205 ng/mL for oxcarbazepine (OXC) and 19.444–10290.800 ng/mL for 10,11‐dihydro‐10‐hydroxycarbamazepine (MHD), expressed by the linear correlation coefficient r², which was better than 0.995 for OXC and MHD. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples were within 10.0%. The recoveries were 81.0, 89.6 and 66.6% for OXC, MHD and imipramine, respectively. The total run time was 1.5 min only for each sample, which makes it possible to analyze more than 350 samples per day. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review on use of TRNSYS as simulation tool in performance prediction of desiccant cooling cycle

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Solid desiccant-assisted cooling and dehumidification systems are becoming very popular nowadays for maintaining the required thermal comfort in...     

Synthesis and characterization of terbium doped TiO2 nanoparticles and their use as recyclable and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for efficient and environmentally sustainable synthesis of spiroannulated indolo[3,2-c]quinolines- mimetic scaffolds of isocryptolepine

An efficient and environmentally sustainable domino protocol has been presented for the synthesis of structurally diverse spiroannulated indolo[3,2-c]quinolines involving three component sequential reaction of phenylhydrazine, o-aminoacetophenone and cyclic ketones using nanostructured terbium doped TiO₂ as recyclable and reusable heterogeneous catalyst. The nanostructured catalyst was synthesized successfully and characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), EDX and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR). The substitution of Ti⁺⁴ with Tb⁺³ and the formation of Ti-O-Tb bonds as a result of doping of Terbium with TiO₂ NPs increases the catalytic efficiency and facilitates the reaction to provide the products in excellent yields. The present protocol with special features; operational simplicity, atom-economy, mild reaction conditions, environmental sustainability and high synthetic efficiency with recyclability and reusability of catalyst has been reported for the first time to synthesize spiroannulated indoloquinolines and expecting to provide the library of promising new leads in drug discovery research.     

Selenium Biofortification: Roles,Mechanisms, Responses and Prospects

The trace element selenium (Se) is a crucial element for many living organisms, including soil microorganisms, plants and animals, including humans. Generally, in Nature Se is taken up in the living cells of microorganisms, plants, animals and humans in several inorganic forms such as selenate, selenite, elemental Se and selenide. These forms are converted to organic forms by biological process, mostly as the two selenoamino acids selenocysteine (SeCys) and selenomethionine (SeMet). The biological systems of plants, animals and humans can fix these amino acids into Se-containing proteins by a modest replacement of methionine with SeMet. While the form SeCys is usually present in the active site of enzymes, which is essential for catalytic activity. Within human cells, organic forms of Se are significant for the accurate functioning of the immune and reproductive systems, the thyroid and the brain, and to enzyme activity within cells. Humans ingest Se through plant and animal foods rich in the element. The concentration of Se in foodstuffs depends on the presence of available forms of Se in soils and its uptake and accumulation by plants and herbivorous animals. Therefore, improving the availability of Se to plants is, therefore, a potential pathway to overcoming human Se deficiencies. Among these prospective pathways, the Se-biofortification of plants has already been established as a pioneering approach for producing Se-enriched agricultural products. To achieve this desirable aim of Se-biofortification, molecular breeding and genetic engineering in combination with novel agronomic and edaphic management approaches should be combined. This current review summarizes the roles, responses, prospects and mechanisms of Se in human nutrition. It also elaborates how biofortification is a plausible approach to resolving Se-deficiency in humans and other animals.     

Radiation effect on thermoluminescence and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of pink beryl

Morganite, a pink beryl with the chemical formula Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈, was investigated in terms of its thermally stimulated luminescence (TL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) properties due to point defects. Atomic hydrogen H°-centers were induced by γ-radiation and shown to be responsible for a 165°C TL peak. The Fe³⁺-center concentration was found to increase with γ-dose, observed by both TL and EPR measurements, decreasing with thermal treatments beyond 250°C. A mechanism for emission around 315°C is proposed.     

Synthesis of a Novel Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH) Analog Incorporating a Piperazin‐2‐one Ring

The synthesis of a Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH) analog incorporating a piperazin‐2‐one ring is described. This conformationally restricted peptidomimetic attempts to retain the key recognition elements of the interaction between TRH and its receptor. The synthesis started from the protected dipeptide 2 and proceeded via the 4‐nitrobenzenesulfonyl‐activated intermediate 3 , which was then cyclized, N‐acylated, and deprotected to yield the target compound 1 .     

Shape of thermal etch pits and crystal structure in tellurium crystals

During the systematic study of thermal etching of tellurium crystals, various shaped thermal etch pits were observed on the {101 0} cleavage faces of this crystal. An attempt has been made to explain the shape of non-dislocation and dislocation etch pits. A simple model based on crystal structure and bonding of atoms has been suggested to explain the shape of etch pits.