Indian Turmeric and its Use in Cationic Photopolymerizations

Curcumin, an intensely yellow dye isolated from Indian turmeric is an excellent electron-transfer photosensitizer for cationic vinyl and ring-opening polymerizations. Especially attractive features of curcumin are its strong absorption, broad spectral sensitivity, efficient electron-transfer, low toxicity and low cost. Using curcumin as a photosensitizer, the cationic photopolymerizations of a variety of monomers were carried out including such naturally derived monomers as epoxidized terpenes and epoxidized vegetable oils. The impact of this technology on applications such as housing, boat-building and water distribution is discussed.     

The separation–preconcentration and determination of ultra-trace gold in water and solid samples by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction using 4-ethyl-1(2-(4-(4-nitrophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetyl)thiosemicarbazide) as chelating agent and flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A selective separation and preconcentration method for the determination of gold ions in water and ore samples has been developed using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. 4-Ethyl-1(2-(4-(4-nitrophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetyl)thiosemicarbazide) (NPPTSC) has been used for the first time as new chelating reagent. A mixture of ethanol (dispersive solvent) and carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent) was used. Some parameters affecting the extraction procedure including the type and volume of the extracting and dispersive solvents, HNO₃ concentration, the chelating agent amount, volume of sample, and foreign ions have optimized. Also, the complex formation between gold ions and the ligand has been investigated in a methanol–water solution (1:1) using UV–visible spectrometry. The spectrophotometric titration data showed that of Au–NPPTSC complex composition was found to be 3:2. After optimizing the instrumental and experimental parameters, we achieved a detection limit of 1.5 µg L^?1, a preconcentration factor of 50, and a linear dynamic range of 10.0–400.0 µg L^?1. The relative standard deviation obtained 2.1% at 50 µg L^?1 for gold ions (n = 10). The proposed method was successfully performed for the determination of gold in certified reference material, environmental water, and ore samples.     

Protease production by Streptomyces sp. isolated from brazilian cerrado soil

Streptomyces are important microorganisms because of their capacity to produce numerous bioactive molecules. In the present work protease production, by Streptomyces sp. 594 isolated from a Brazilian Cerrado soil, was maximized by optimizing a low-cost culture medium composition (casitone and sugarcane molasses) using statistical experimental design. The final protease activity (56 U/mL) was 2.8-fold and 58-fold higher than that obtained in the beginning of this study, and in a previous work, using an actinomycete selection medium, respectively. Protease production, not growth associated, appeared to be modulated by an inducer system, whereby the C/N ratio seemed to play a significant role.     

Electrochemical investigations of the [tris(2-(diphenylphosphino)thiaphenolato)ruthenate(II)] monoanion reveal metal- and ligand-centered events: radical, reactivity, and rate

Electrochemical investigations of [bis(triphenylphosphoranylidene)ammonium)][tris(2-(diphenylphosphino)thiaphenolato)ruthenate(II)], PPN[Ru(DPPBT)(3)] (1), and [(bis(2-(diphenylphosphino)thiaphenolato)methane)(2-(diphenylphosphino)thiaphenolato)ruthenium(II)] chloride, [Ru((DPPBT)(2)CH(2))(DPPBT)]Cl (2) are reported. Complex 1 is oxidized reversibly in a metal-centered event by one electron at a potential of +455 mV (vs Ag/AgCl) to the ruthenium(III) derivative [tris(2-(diphenylphosphino)thiaphenolato)ruthenium(III)], 3. Complex 3 can also be prepared by iodine oxidation of 1 in acetonitrile. Oxidation of 3 in acetonitrile is reversible on a cyclic voltammetry time scale but irreversible upon bulk oxidation yielding Ru-X. Monitoring the oxidation of 3 by UV-visible spectroscopy reveals a proposed metal-coordinated thiyl radical intermediate with a maximum absorbance at 850 nm. This intermediate decays at a temperature of -20 degrees C with a rate constant of (5.82 +/- 0.73) x 10(-)(3) s(-)(1) with a small, positive deltaH and a large, negative deltaS. Ru-X can be oxidized reversibly to Ru-Y at a potential of +806 mV but cannot be reduced. Complex 2 is reversibly oxidized by one electron in a metal-centered event to 4 at a potential of +767 mV.     

Formation of Nitrosyl Hemoglobin and Nitrotyrosine during Murine Leishmaniasis*

Peroxynitrite, the potent oxidant formed by the fast reaction between nitric oxide and superoxide anion, has been suggested to be the reactive intermediate responsible for some of the pathologies associated with an overproduction of nitric oxide. In this report, we demonstrate that both nitric oxide and peroxynitrite are formed during infection of the susceptible mouse strain, BALBk, with Leishmania amazonensis. Nitric oxide was detected as the nitrosyl hemoglobin complex by EPR analysis of blood drawn from mice at 35 , 64 and 148 days of infection. The levels of nitrosyl hemoglobin complex increased with disease evolution, which in the murine model used is characterized by skin lesions, ulceration and visceral-ization of the parasites. Peroxynitrite formation was inferred from immunoreaction of homogenates obtained from footpad lesions in the late stages of the infection with anti-nitrotyrosine antibody; homogenates from parasites drawn from the lesions were also immunoreactive, although to a lesser extent. Analysis of protein homogenates by gel electrophoresis and western blots suggests that peroxynitrite may degrade proteins in vivo, in addition to nitrating them. The results demonstrate that peroxynitrite is formed during murine leishmaniasis and may play a role in the aggravation of the disease.     

Quantum wave packet study of the insertion reaction S+H2

S(¹D)+H₂→SH+H reaction at zero total angular momentum has been studied by using a time-dependent quantum real wave packet method. State-to-state and state-to-all reactive scattering probabilities for a broad range of energy are calculated. The probabilities show many sharp peaks that ascribed to reactive scattering resonances. The density plots of the wave function shows that the reaction presents a pure insertion pathway.     

New soliton solutions of Davey–Stewartson equation with power-law nonlinearity

This study is related to new soliton solutions of Davey–Stewartson equation (DSE) with power-law nonlinearity. The generalized Kudryashov method which is one of the analytical methods has been used for finding exact solutions of this equation. By using this method, dark soliton solutions of DSE have been found. Also, by using Mathematica Release 9, some graphical representations have been done to analyze the motion of these solutions.     

Immobilized microorganisms in the reduction of ethyl benzoylacetate

The enantioselective reduction of ethyl benzoylacetate (EBA) into ethyl (S)-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoate (S-HPPE) by nine yeast strains and three filamentous fungi strains is described. The conversion obtained was in the range 0-89% and the enantiomeric excess was 100% in many cases. Conversion levels were higher when the reduction was performed with microorganisms immobilized in calcium alginate and enantioselectivity remained excellent. Some reaction’s conditions of bioreduction by immobilized cells of Rhodotorula rubra were studied using a 2^5-2 fractional factorial design.