Photocatalytic ozonation degradation of ciprofloxacin using ZnO nanoparticles immobilized on the surface of stones

Ciprofloxacin is used in the treatment of bacterial infections. Because ciprofloxacin is not effectively degraded by biological processes, advanced oxidation processes such as photocatalytic ozonation are applied to remove this antibiotic from wastewater. The aim of this study was to investigate photocatalytic ozonation for the removal of ciprofloxacin from aquatic environments and optimization of the effective parameters of the process. For this purpose, ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using the thermal method and immobilized on the surface of stones. The structural properties of the nanoparticles were determined by XRD, TEM, Photoluminescence (PL) and SEM. Experiments were carried out in a Plexiglas reactor supported with the continuous injection of ozone. The effective parameters for removal efficiency were reaction time, initial concentration of ciprofloxacin, pH, photocatalyst concentration and reaction kinetics. The highest ciprofloxacin removal efficiency occurred at the following optimal conditions: pH of 7, reaction time of 30?min, photocatalyst concentration of 3?g/L and initial ciprofloxacin concentration of 10?mg/L. Removal efficiency of 96% was obtained under these conditions. Linear kinetic models showed that the process followed pseudo-first order and Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics. This process had a high removal efficiency and suitable for removal of ciprofloxacin from aquatic environments.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT     

Dynamic headspace liquid-phase microextraction of alcohols

A method was developed using dynamic headspace liquid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for extraction and determination of 9 alcohols from water samples. Four different solvents, hexyl acetate, n-octanol, o-xylene and n-decane were studied as extractants. The analytes were extracted using 0.8 microl of n-octanol from the headspace of a 2 ml sample solution. The effect of sampling volume, solvent volume, sample temperature, syringe plunger withdrawal rate and ionic strength of the solution on the extraction performance were studied. A semiautomated system including a variable speed stirring motor was used to ensure a uniform movement of syringe plunger through the barrel. The method provided a fairly good precision for all compounds (5.5-9.3%), except methanol (16.4%). Detection limits were found to be between 1 and 97 microg/l within an extraction time of approximately 9.5 min under GC-MS in full scan mode.     

Application of high-field NMR and cryogenic probe technologies in the structural elucidation of poecillastrin a,a new antitumor macrolide lactam from the sponge poecillastra species

Poecillastrin A (1), a new polyketide-derived macrolide lactam, was isolated from a deep-water collection of the marine sponge Poecillastra species. The structure of poecillastrin A (1) was assigned using NMR data acquired at 500 MHz with an inverse-detection cryogenic probe and at 800 MHz with a room-temperature probe.     

Si-tolerance of iron doped Pt/alumina catalyst in the total oxidation of VOC

Summary In the present study the effects of addition of iron on the catalytic activity and Si tolerability of Pt/g-Al₂O₃in the total oxidation of volatile organic compounds were investigated. Preliminary results showed that there is a noticeable improvement effect on Si-tolerance of catalyst, particularly for short term poison exposure. Bulk analysis of deposited silicon on the catalyst surface indicated that both Pt/g-Al₂O₃and iron-doped pellets had roughly the same silicone uptakes. Deactivation of catalyst was reversible and much faster for iron doped sample. The promoting effects of iron were related to its electronegativity and, to blocking of fewer Pt sites when iron is present at the surface of the catalyst.     

FT-IR spectroscopic detection of pesticide after sorption onto modified pumice

Organoclays can be prepared by modification of the surface with a cationic surface active compound and used for the immobilisation or separation of non-polar contaminants from polluted waters. In this work pumice is used instead of clay material. Batch system experiments were performed for the modification of pumice surface with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide. Modification of pumice and then the sorption of pesticide, Fenvalerate, from water have been traced by FT-IR spectroscopy.     

A study of peroxyoxalate-chemiluminescence of acriflavine

The chemiluminescence arising from the reaction of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO) with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of acriflavine has been studied. The relationship between the chemiluminescence intensity and concentrations of TCPO, H2O2, acriflavine and the base sodium salicylate are reported. The kinetic parameters for the peroxyoxalate-chemiluminescence (PO-CL) of acriflavine were evaluated from the computer fitting of the corresponding chemiluminescence intensity-time plots.     

Ethylenediamine complexes of transition metalbis(chlorosulphates)

Summary The number and positions of the i.r. active modes in ethylenediamine complexes of M(SO₃Cl)₂ (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni or Cu) suggest that the SO₃Cl^– anion is covalently bound in these non-electrolytic complexes. Magnetic moments and ligand field data suggest that each SO₃Cl^– group is monodentate, giving an octahedral geometry around the metal ions.     

Growth promotion of HepG2 hepatoma cells by antisense-mediated knockdown of glypican-3 is independent of insulin-like growth factor 2 signaling

Glypican-3 (GPC3) encodes a cell-surface heparan- sulfate proteoglycan and its expression is frequently silenced in ovarian cancer, mesotheliomas, and breast cancer cell lines and ectopic expression of GPC3 inhibited the growth of these cells, suggesting that GPC3 plays a negative role in cell proliferation. In contrast, up-regulation of GPC3 is often observed in hepatoma, neuroblastoma, and Wilms' tumor. Whether GPC3 plays the same growth inhibitory role in these tumors remains to be studied. Here we report that antisense-mediated knockdown of GPC3 in the HepG2 hepatoma cells significantly promotes the growth of hepatoma cells. In addition, we show that this growth promotion is independent of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) signaling. Our data suggest that GPC3 plays a growth-suppressing role in hepatoma and provide cell biological evidence inconsistent with the hypothesis that GPC3 acts as a growth suppressor by downregulating IGF2.     

Stability-indicating methods for determination of pyritinol dihydrochloride in the presence of its precursor and degradation product by derivative spectrophotometry

A first-derivative spectrophotometric (1D) method and a derivative-ratio zero-crossing spectrophotometric (1DD) method were used to determine pyritinol dihydrochloride (I) in the presence of its precursor (II) and its degradation product (III) with 0.1N hydrochloric acid as a solvent. Linear relationships were obtained in the ranges of 6-22 microg/mL for the (1D) method and 6-20 microg/mL for the (1DD) method. By applying the proposed methods, it was possible to determine pyritinol dihydrochloride in its pure powdered form with an accuracy of 100.36 +/- 1.497% (n = 9) for the (1D) method and an accuracy of 99.92 +/- 1.172% (n = 8) for the (1DD) method. Laboratory-prepared mixtures containing different ratios of (I), (II), and (III) were analyzed, and the proposed methods were valid for concentrations of < or = 10% (II) and < or = 50% (III). The proposed methods were validated and found to be suitable as stability-indicating assay methods for pyritinol in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Proton spin-lattice relaxation studies. N-aryl-1-isoindolinones

Proton spin-lattice relaxation rates (R₁ values) have been measured, at 270 MHz, for a series of N-aryl isoindolinones. A normalization procedure has been used to enable comparison of R₁ values in different compounds by minimizing the effects on relaxation rates of changes in motional correlation times accompanying changes in substitution patterns. A substantial (4.3-fold) dynamic range of R₁ values has been observed, and individual values have been correlated with the molecular environments of the nuclei. There is evidence for an interring relaxation process.