Rapid decolorization of azo dyes in aqueous solution by an ultrasound-assisted electrocatalytic oxidation process

In this study, we developed a novel ultrasound-assisted electrocatalytic oxidation (US–EO) process to decolorize azo dyes in aqueous solution. Rhodamine B was decolorized completely within several minutes in this developed US–EO system. Oxidation parameters such as applied potentials, power of the ultrasound, initial pH of the solution, and initial concentration of RhB were systematically studied and optimized. An obvious synergistic effect was found in decolorization of RhB by the US–EO process when comparing with either ultrasound (US) process or electrocatalytic oxidation (EO) one. Additionally, the decolorization of other azo dyes, such as methylene blue, reactive brilliant red X-3B, and methyl orange, were also effective in the US–EO system. The results indicated that US–EO system was effective for the decolorization of azo dyes, suggesting its great potential in dyeing wastewater treatment.     

Synthesis of Stimuli-responsive Nanoparticles by Solution Polymerization

In this study, stimuli-responsive nanoparticles were prepared by solution polymerization. Two synthesis routes are proposed to synthesize the particles, the monomer route and the polymer/monomer route. For the monomer route, pH and thermal sensitive nanoparticles were synthesized from acrylic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide. For the polymer/monomer route, the pH sensitive nanoparticles were synthesized from chitosan and acrylic acid. The effect of reaction time, initiator concentration and agitation rate on the particle size and the size distribution were investigated. The stimuli-responsive nanoparticles could be directly blended with other polymers to prepare stimuli-responsive functional membranes.     

Thermogravimetry study of the pyrolytic characteristics and kinetics of macro-algae Macrocystis pyrifera residue

Macrocystis pyrifera is one important marine macro-algae, while its residues produced by industrial alginate extraction is a hot potato. To figure out whether its residue is suitable for pyrolysis for biofuel, the pyrolytic characteristics and kinetics of macro-algae M. pyrifera residue was investigated using thermogravimetric method from 50 to 800 °C in an inert argon atmosphere at different heating rates of 5, 10, 20, and 30 °C min^?1. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor was calculated by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, and Popescu methods, and the kinetic mechanism was deduced by Popescu method. The results showed that the primary devolatilization stage of M. pyrifera residue can be described by Jander function $ \left(\left[ {1 - \left( {1 - \alpha } \right)^{1/3} } \right]^{2}\right) $ . The average activation energy of M. pyrifera residue was 222.4 kJ mol^?1. The results suggested that the experimental results and kinetic parameters provided useful information for the design of pyrolytic processing system using M. pyrifera residue as feedstock.     

An efficient electrochemical disinfection of E. coli and S. aureus in drinking water using ferrocene–PAMAM–multiwalled carbon nanotubes–chitosan nanocomposite modified pyrolytic graphite electrode

This work reported an efficient electrochemical treatment for drinking water disinfection using a pyrolytic graphite electrode modified with ferrocenyl tethered poly(amidoamine) dendrimers–multiwalled carbon nanotubes–chitosan nanocomposite. The influence parameters of electrochemical disinfection of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, such as applied potential and sterilization time, were investigated. Further investigation indicated that almost all (99.99 %) of the initial bacteria were killed after applying a low potential of 0.4 V for 10 min. During the electrochemical disinfection process, the oxidized form of ferrocene was formed on electrode, which played a key role in the disinfection towards E. coli and S. aureus. Hence, the proposed method may provide potential application for the disinfection of drinking water.

Three New C19‐Diterpenoid Alkaloids from Aconitum forrestii

A further study of the alkaloid constituents of Aconitum forrestii led to the isolation of three new C₁₉‐diterpenoid alkaloids, named 14‐acetoxy‐8‐O‐methylsachaconitine ( 1 ), 14‐acetoxyscaconine ( 2 ), and 8‐O‐ethylcammaconine ( 3 ). Their structures were determined by UV, IR, and MS, 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR analyses.     

Colorimetric detection of peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage using gold nanoparticles, and on the scavenging effects of antioxidants

We describe a rapid and convenient colorimetric method for the detection of oxidative DNA damage caused by peroxynitrite (ONOO^?) using unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). AuNPs are stable in the presence of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) against the aggregation induced by a high ionic strength. If adsorbed ssDNA are cleaved by ONOO^? to form smaller fragments, the AuNPs rapidly aggregate due to electrostatic attraction. As a result, the color of the solution changes from red to blue, and this can be seen with bare eyes. We also have evaluated the activity of the antioxidants gallic acid, ascorbic acid and caffeic acid to scavenge ONOO^?. This method therefore also can be applied to screen for anti-oxidation drugs and agents.

Clean,One‐Pot Synthesis of Naphthopyran Derivatives in Aqueous Media

A general and practical one‐pot synthesis of naphthopyran derivatives using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTMAB) as catalyst (10 mol%) is described. This method provides several advantages such as neutral conditions, high yields and simple workup procedure. The catalyst is low cost, facile, active, environmentally friendly, and reusable. In addition, water is chosen as a green solvent.     

Simultaneous extraction and determination of fluoroquinolones,tetracyclines and sulfonamides antibiotics in soils using optimised solid phase extraction chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous extraction and determination of 18 fluoroquinolones (FQs), tetracyclines (TCs) and sulfonamides (SAs) antibiotics from soils using solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The soils were extracted by different solvents with the help of mechanical shaking and ultrasonic treatment at 59?kHz, followed by a strong anion exchange (SAX) cartridge to clean up soil samples and a hydrophilic lipophilic balance (HLB) cartridge as enrichment. The method was evaluated by testing the following variables: extraction solvents, the type of SPE cartridges, solvent volumes, initial spiking levels and soil types (silty clay loam and clay loam soils). The soil extraction method was validated using these two types of soils, representing two typical agricultural soils in northern China. For 2?g soil, the extraction steps with the mixture of potassium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile (ACN) (1/1, v/v, pH 3.2) provided satisfactory recoveries. In the clay loam soil, the recoveries of all the compounds were from 56% to 89% at the spiking level of 50?µg?kg^?1 soil, and from 69% to 97% at the spiking level of 200?µg?kg^?1 soil, respectively. Recoveries in silty clay loam soil were similar to that in clay loam. The method was successfully employed using soil samples collected from a farmland and afforestion area irrigated with sewage in northern China. The result indicates that trace antibiotics in sewage may accumulate in soil irrigated by river water containing sewage.