Fe3O4@Propylsilane@Histidine[HSO4‐] magnetic nanocatalysts: Synthesis,characterization and catalytic application for highly efficient synthesis of xanthene derivatives

The surface of Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was modified by chloropropylsilane and histidine. The imidazole group of prepared Fe₃O₄@Propylsilane@Histidine MNPs converted to imidazolium hydrogen sulfate group and Fe₃O₄@Propylsilane@Histidine [HSO₄^‐] as a novel environmentally friendly ionic liquid/ magnetite nanoparticle was prepared, successfully. FT‐IR, XRD, SEM and TEM instruments was used to identifiy the histidine ionic liquids/magnetite nanoparticles (HILMNPs). The catalytic activity of synthesized HILMNPs was appraised for the synthesis of 9‐aryl‐1,8‐dioxooctahydroxanthene and spiro[indoline‐3,9′‐xanthene]trione derivatives. The activity of HILMNPs was much better than the other reported heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts. Furthermore, the prepared catalyst could be separated from the reaction mixture and reused four times without any significant loss in its activity.     

Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Different Parameters on the Rate of Asphaltene Deposition in Laminar Flow and Its Prediction Using Heat Transfer Approach

In this study, asphaltene deposition from crude oil on the pipe surface has been studied experimentally using a novel designed test loop. Washing technique is used to quantitatively measure the rate of asphaltene deposition during laminar flow in the steel pipe. The effects of oil velocity, asphaltene content, and surface temperature on the thickness of asphaltene deposition are investigated. The results show that the asphaltene deposition rate increases with increasing surface temperature, results in asphaltene content reduction of the flowing crude oil. As the oil velocity increases, less deposition was noticed on the surface of the pipe. Besides, thermal approach was applied to the experimental procedure which shows good agreements between the predicted thickness and the measured value from the test loop.     

Synthesis,characterization, X-ray diffraction,antimicrobial and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of 7a-Aza-B-homostigmast-5-eno [7a,7-d] tetrazole

The synthesis, spectral characterization, crystal structure and antimicrobial activity of the novel synthetic molecule 7a-Aza-B-homostigmast-5-eno [7a,7-d] tetrazole, C₂₉H₄₈N₄ has been reported. The structure has also been determined by X-ray diffraction technique using direct method and was refined on F² by the full-matrix least-squares. Crystals are orthorhombic and their space group is P212121, with a = 7.230(3), b = 31.451(13), c = 11.974(5) (Å), α = β = γ = 90°. It can be conveniently obtained by the reaction of 7-Oxostigmast-5-ene with hydrazoic acid. The molecule has also been screened for its possible in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Corynebacterium xerosis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 424). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the synthesized compound has also been evaluated. The highest activity is observed against C. xerosi and P. vulgaris. Moreover, the compound has also been screened for its in vitro cytotoxicity against human colon carcinoma cell line, HCT116 and human liver hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2, using doxorubicin as standard. On the basis of its IC₅₀ values, 7a-Aza-B-homostigmast-5-eno [7a,7-d] tetrazole was found to inhibit the cancer cells effectively.     

Electronic and structural investigations of gold clusters doped with copper: Aun-1Cu- (n=13-19)

We have obtained the ground state and the equilibrium geometries of Au(n) (-) and Au(n-1)Cu(-) in the size range of n=13-19. We have used first principles density functional theory within plane wave and Gaussian basis set methods. For each of the cluster we have obtained at least 100 distinct isomers. The anions of gold clusters undergo two structural transformations, the first one from flat cage to hollow cage and the second one from hollow cage to pyramidal structure. The Cu doped clusters do not show any flat cage structures as the ground state. The copper doped systems evolve from a general 3D structure to hollow cage with Cu trapped inside the cage at n=16 and then to pyramidal structure at n=19. The introduction of copper atom enhances the binding energy per atom as compared to gold cluster anions.     

Simultaneous chiral separation of ephedrine alkaloids by MEKC-ESI-MS using polymeric surfactant II: application in dietary supplements

Chiral MEKC-MS method was utilized for separation, identification, and quantitation of ten enantiomers of ephedrine and related compounds. Enantioselective separations of all ephedrine alkaloids were accomplished through a combination of polysodium N-undecenoxycarbonyl-L-leucinate (poly-L-SUCL) with 30% v/v ACN. Interestingly, the more hydrophilic stereoisomers were eluted later than the hydrophobic ones indicating that hydrogen bonding interactions are much stronger than hydrophobic interactions in the presence of ACN in chiral MEKC. The method was validated in terms of linearity, LOD, LOQ, precision and robustness. The method was finally used in the analysis of three standard reference materials (SRMs). Results of (-)-ephedrine ranged from 12.49 to 0.24 mg/g, for (+)-pseudoephedrine from 4.04 to 0.019 mg/g, for (-)-norephedrine from 0.36 to 0.0031 mg/g, for (+)-norpseudoephedrine from 0.68 to 0.0052 mg/g, for (-)-methylephedrine from 1.18 to 0.0092 mg/g and for (+)-methylpseudoephedrine from 0.086 to 0.00037 mg/g in the SRMs.     

Synthesis of poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)‐based molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles containing timolol maleate: morphological,thermal, and drug release along with cell biocompatibility studies

This work was aimed to synthesize and characterize poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [poly (HEMA)]‐based molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (MIP NPs) containing timolol maleate (TM) via precipitation polymerization. The molecular structures of the MIP and non‐imprinted polymer (NIP) NPs were compared by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The morphological observations by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the formation of MIP NPs as small as 128 nm in average diameter with appropriate synthesis conditions. Thermal behaviors of the samples were also studied by the use of thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. By considering a series of key factors such as monomer : template ratio, cross‐linker type, pH, and temperature, the sample with promising characteristics was found to be that of HEMA : TM ratio of 10:1, 40 mmol of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross‐linker, and polymerization temperature of 60°C in acetonitrile as porogenic solvent. Furthermore, the ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐vis) spectrophotometry results proved a controlled release of TM from the MIP NP samples compared with NIP ones at extended periods. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the MIP and NIP NPs samples was evaluated on mesenchymal stem cells, and the obtained observations showed that they had no adverse side effect on the living cells; especially the surface of the MIP NPs sample depicted highly cell's biocompatibility. Finally, the outcomes from designed different experiments conducted us that the HEMA‐based MIP NPs have great potential as an ocular nanocarrier for TM delivery. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polynuclear transition metal complexes with thiocarbohydrazide and dithiocarbamates

Sn(tch)2{MCl2}2 was prepared from the precursor Sn(tch)2 and MCl2. It was subsequently allowed to react with diethyldithiocarbamate which yielded the trinuclear complexes of the type Sn(tch)2{M2(dtc)4}, where tch=thiocarbohydrazide, M=Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and dtc=diethyldithiocarbamate. They were characterized on the basis of microanalytical, thermal (TGA/DSC), spectral (IR, UV-vis, EPR, (1)H NMR) studies, conductivity measurement and magnetic moment data. On the basis of spectral data a tetrahedral geometry has been proposed for the halide complexes, Sn(tch)2{MCl2}2 except for Cu(II) which exhibits a square planar coordination although the transition metal ion in Sn(tch)2{M2(dtc)4} achieves an octahedral geometry where the dithiocarbamato moiety acts as a symmetrical bidentate ligand. The bidentate nature has been established by the appearance of a sharp single nu(C-S) around 1000 cm(-1). A downfield shift observed in NH(a) and NH(b) protons on moving from Sn(tch)2 to Sn(tch)2{MCl2}2 is due to the drift of electrons toward metal atoms. A two-step pyrolysis has been observed in the Sn(tch)2{MCl2}2 complexes while their dithiocarbamato derivatives exhibit a three-stage degradation pattern. Finally, the in vitro antibacterial activity of Sn(tch)2{M2(dtc)4} and the mononuclear Sn(tch)2 has been carried out on bacterial strains Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. The compounds were found to be active against the test organisms. The activity of the complexes is enhanced with increasing concentration. The maximum activity in both the strains was achieved by cobalt(II) dithiocarbamate complex. Minimum activity was found for Sn(tch)2 which generally increases with the introduction of transition metal ion in the complex.     

Development of a fritless packed column for capillary electrochromatography-mass spectrometry

A novel procedure was developed for the fabrication of a fritless packed column for the coupling of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) to mass spectrometry (MS). The process involved the formation of internal tapers on two separate columns. Once the internal tapers are formed and the columns are packed, the untapered ends of each column were joined together by a commercially available connector. Several advantages of the fritless columns are described. First, the design used here eventually eliminates the need for any frits thus reducing the possibility of bubble formation seen with fritted packed columns. In addition, this is the first report in which the internal tapers are formed at both the inlet and outlet column ends making the fritless CEC-MS column more robust compared to only one report with externally tapered counterparts. Second, a comparison of internally tapered single frit packed CEC-MS (previously developed in our laboratory) column versus fritless CEC-MS column reported here shows that the latter provides better efficiency, suggesting no dead volume with equally good sensitivity and chiral resolution of (±)-aminoglutethimide. The fritless column procedure is universal and was used to prepare a series of columns with a variety of commercially available packing material (mixed mode strong cation exchange, SCX; mixed mode strong anion exchange, SAX; C-18) for the separation and MS detection of short chain non-chromophoric polar amines, long chain nonchromophic anionic surfactant as well as oligomers of non-chromophoric non-ionic surfactants, respectively. The fritless columns showed good intra-day repeatability and inter-day reproducibility of retention times, chiral and achiral resolutions and peak areas. Very satisfactory column-to-column and operator-to-operator reproducibility was demonstrated.