Correction to: Foreword to the memorial issue for Professor Roberto Marassi

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry -     

Reduced formation of peroxide and radical species stabilises iron-based hybrid catalysts in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

The incorporation of Pt into an iron-nitrogen-carbon(Fe NC)catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)was recently shown to enhance catalyst stability without Pt directly contributing to the ORR activity.However,the mechanistic origin of this stabilisation remained obscure.It is established herein with rotating ring disc experiments that the side product,H₂O₂,which is known to damage FeNC catalysts,is suppressed by the presence of Pt.The formation of reactive oxygen species is additionally inhibited,independent of intrinsic H₂O₂ formation,as determined by electron paramagnetic resonance.Transmission electron microscopy identifies an oxidised Fe-rich layer covering the Pt particles,thus explaining the inactivity of the latter towards the ORR.These insights develop understanding of Fe NC degradation mechanisms during ORR catalysis,and crucially establish the required properties of a precious metal free protective catalyst to improve Fe NC stability in acidic media.     

Analysis of Fatty Acids,Amino Acids and Volatile Profile of Apple By-Products by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Apple industrial by-products are a promising source of bioactive compounds with direct implications on human health. The main goal of the present work was to characterize the Jonathan and Golden Delicious by-products from their fatty acid, amino acid, and volatile aroma compounds’ point of view. GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) and ITEX/GC-MS methods were used for the by-products characterization. Linoleic and oleic were the main fatty acids identified in all samples, while palmitic and stearic acid were the representant of saturated ones. With respect to amino acids, from the essential group, isoleucine was the majority compound identified in JS (Jonathan skin) and GS (Golden skin) samples, lysine was the representant of JP (Jonathan pomace), and valine was mainly identified in GP (Golden pomace). A total number of 47 aroma volatile compounds were quantified in all samples, from which the esters groups ranged from 41.55–53.29%, aldehydes 29.75–43.99%, alcohols from 4.15 to 6.37%, ketones 4.14–5.72%, and the terpenes and terpenoids group reached values between 2.27% and 4.61%. Moreover, the by-products were valorized in biscuits manufacturing, highlighting their importance in enhancing the volatile aroma compounds, color, and sensorial analysis of the final baked goods.     

Investigation on corrosion inhibition and adsorption mechanism of azomethine derivatives at mild steel/0.5 ​M ​H2SO4 solution interface: Gravimetric,electrochemical, SEM and EDX studies

The inhibition performance of five azomethine derivatives such as: 1-(4-Methyloxy phenylimino)-1-(phenylhydrazono)-propan-2-one (SB₁), 1-(4-Methylphenylimino)-1-(phenylhydrazono) propan-2-one (SB₂), 1-(phenylimino)-1(phenylhydrazono)-propan-2-one (SB₃), 1-(4-Bromo phenylimino)-1(phenylhydrazono)-propan-2-one (SB₄) and 1-(4-Chlorophenylimino)-1(phenylhydrazono) -propan-2-on (SB₅) as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in sulfuric acid 0.5 ?M were investigated using different methods. All experimental results demonstrate that these compounds are eficients inhibitors. The inhibition efficiencies ($IE$) increase with inhibitors concentration. At 7.5 $\times$ 10^?5 ?M, the $IE$ was 97.27%, 96.31%, 94.23%, 93.19 and 91.64% for SB₁, SB₂, SB₃, SB₄ and SB₅, respectively. The potentiodynamic polarization results indicated that all the studied inhibitors act as mixed type. The adsorption process on mild steel surface obeyed Langmuir isotherm. The associated activation parameters and thermodynamic have been calculated and discussed. The adsorbed film formed on the metal surface was characterized by SEM and EDX.     

Organotin (IV) complexes derived from tridentate Schiff base ligands: Synthesis,spectroscopic analysis,antimicrobial and antioxidant activity

Organotin complexes of Schiff bases (derived from the condensation of hydrazides with salicylaldehyde derivatives) were prepared and their characterization was done using several spectroscopic techniques like FTIR, NMR (¹H, ¹³C, and ¹¹⁹Sn) and mass spectrometry. The spectroscopic data of the ligands and their corresponding complexes revealed that the Schiff bases chelated to the tin metal in a tridentate manner through –ONO atoms (oxygen atom of the hydroxyl group of the salicylaldehydic derivatives, the nitrogen atom of azomethine group, and the oxygen atom of enolic group present in the carboxylic acid hydrazides). Around tin atom pentacoordinated geometry was exhibited. The synthesized ligands and their complexes have been assessed for their biological potency (antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant using Ciprofloxacin, Fluconazole and Ascorbic acid as reference compounds) and few of the compounds showed optimistic activity. The ligands having electron withdrawing group attached showed greater antimicrobial activity as compared to the other ligands. The complexes showed the better activity than the ligands. The general trend followed by the complexes was diphenyl ?> ?dibutyl ?> ?dimethyl substituted complexes. Compound 11 was the most active against microbes. The antioxidant activity increased with electron donating group. The phenyl substituted complexes showed better activity as compared to the dibutyl and dimethyl substituted complexes. Compound 20 was the best antioxidant.     

Oxidative additions of alkynyl/vinyl iodides to gold and gold-catalyzed vinylation reactions triggered by the MeDalphos ligand

The hemilabile Ad₂P(o-C₆H₄)NMe₂ ligand promotes fast, quantitative and irreversible oxidative addition of alkynyl and vinyl iodides to gold. The reaction is general. It works with a broad range of substrates of various electronic bias and steric demand, and proceeds with complete retention of stereochemistry from Z and E vinyl iodides. Both alkynyl and vinyl iodides react faster than aryl iodides. The elementary step is amenable to catalysis. Oxidative addition of vinyl iodides to gold and π-activation of alkenols (and N-alkenyl amines) at gold have been combined to achieve hetero-vinylation reactions. A number of functionalized heterocycles, i.e. tetrahydrofuranes, tetrahydropyranes, oxepanes and pyrrolidines were obtained thereby (24 examples, 87% average yield). Taking advantage of the chemoselectivity for vinyl iodides over aryl iodides, sequential transformations involving first a hetero-vinylation step and then a C–N coupling, a C–C coupling or an heteroarylation were achieved from a vinyl/aryl bis-iodide substrate.

The hemilabile Ad₂P(o-C₆H₄)NMe₂ ligand promotes fast, quantitative and irreversible oxidative addition of alkynyl and vinyl iodides to gold.     

Recent Advances in Nanotechnology for the Treatment of Melanoma

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer, with few possibilities for therapeutic approaches, due to its multi-drug resistance and, consequently, low survival rate for patients. Conventional therapies for treatment melanoma include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, which have various side effects. For this reason, in recent years, pharmaceutical and biomedical research has focused on new sito-specific alternative therapeutic strategies. In this regard, nanotechnology offers numerous benefits which could improve the life expectancy of melanoma patients with very low adverse effects. This review aims to examine the latest advances in nanotechnology as an innovative strategy for treating melanoma. In particular, the use of different types of nanoparticles, such as vesicles, polymers, metal-based, carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, solid lipid, microneedles, and their combination with immunotherapies and vaccines will be discussed.     

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Zinc Sulfate Impact Physiological Parameters and Boosts Lipid Peroxidation in Soil Grown Coriander Plants (Coriandrum sativum)

The objective of this study was to determine the oxidative stress and the physiological and antioxidant responses of coriander plants (Coriandrum sativum) grown for 58 days in soil with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄) at concentrations of 0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg of Zn/kg of soil. The results revealed that all Zn compounds increased the total chlorophyll content (CHLt) by at least 45%, compared to the control group; however, with 400 mg/kg of ZnSO₄, chlorophyll accumulation decreased by 34.6%. Zn determination by induction-plasma-coupled atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES) showed that Zn absorption in roots and shoots occurred in plants exposed to ZnSO₄ at all concentrations, which resulted in high levels of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Only at 400 mg/kg of ZnSO₄, a 78.6% decrease in the MDA levels was observed. According to the results, the ZnSO₄ treatments were more effective than the ZnO NPs to increase the antioxidant activity of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and peroxidases (POD). The results corroborate that phytotoxicity was higher in plants subjected to ZnSO₄ compared to treatments with ZnO NPs, which suggests that the toxicity was due to Zn accumulation in the tissues by absorbing dissolved Zn⁺⁺ ions.     

Towards CRISPR powered electrochemical sensing for smart diagnostics

Even though global health has been steadily improved, the global disease burden associated with communicable and non-communicable diseases extensively increased healthcare expenditure. The present COVID-19 pandemic scenario has again ascertained the importance of clinical diagnostics as a basis to make life-saving decisions. In this context, there is a need for developing next-generation integrated smart real-time responsive biosensors with high selectivity and sensitivity. The emergence of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas biosensing systems has shown remarkable potential for developing next-generation biosensors. CRISPR/Cas integrated electrochemical biosensors (E-CRISPR) stands out with excellent properties. In this opinionated review, we illustrate the rapidly evolving applications for E-CRISPR-integrated detection systems towards biosensing and the future scope associated with E-CRISPR based diagnostics.