In situ crystallization of ZnAl2O4/ZnO nanocomposite on alumina granule for photocatalytic purification of wastewater

Research on Chemical Intermediates - ZnAl2O4/ZnO nanocomposites with different ZnO (20, 30, and 40 mol%) concentrations and coated samples on supports were successfully prepared through...     

Rigorous smart model for predicting dynamic viscosity of Al2O3/water nanofluid

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Due to the enhanced thermophysical specifications of nanofluids, such as thermal conductivity, these types of fluids are appropriate candidates for...     

Antioxidant activities and bioactive compounds of five Jalopeno peppers (Capsicum annuum) cultivars

The present study was designed to evaluate the contents of different antioxidants compounds and their antioxidant activities in Jalopeno peppers (Capsicum annuum) cultivars (El Dorido, Grande, Tula, Sayula and El Rey) extracts. Free radical scavenging activity of Grande was recorded as high as 87% followed by El Dorido (83%). Results of reducing power (Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺) showed that Grande (0.85%) and El Dorido (0.81%) fruit extract absorbance value were close to synthetic antioxidant BHT (0. 97%) obtained at100 μg/mL. The results showed that total phenolic content of El Dorido and Grande were significantly higher compared to other Jalapeno pepper. Results indicated strong and positive correlation between antioxidant activity and carotenoids content (r = 0.75), vitamin C (r = 0.78) and total capsaicinoids (r = 0.84), respectively. The results of the antioxidant activity assays showed that the El Dorido and Grande had strongest antioxidant activity compared to other peppers cultivars in this study.     

A comparative study on the catalytic performance of heme and non‐heme catalysts: Metal porphyrins versus metal Schiff bases

Catalytic activity and oxidative stability of a series of iron and manganese porphyrins with 2‐chlorophenyl, phenyl and 4‐methoxyphenyl at the meso positions and metallosalens (Mn‐ and Fe‐salens) including N,N′‐bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine, N,N′‐bis(5‐ chlorosalicylidene)ethylenediamine and N,N′‐bis(2,4‐dihydroxysalicylidene)ethylenediamine for the oxidation of olefins with tetra‐n‐butylammonium periodate (TBAP) and tetra‐n‐butyl‐ammonium Oxone (TBAO) have been investigated and compared. Although the metalloporphyrins showed an increased catalytic activity relative to the Schiff base complexes, the former provided no significant catalytic advantage over the latter. Also, a comparable or slightly higher oxidative stability was observed for the Schiff base complexes under the reaction conditions. Furthermore, in spite of large difference between the oxidizing ability of TBAO and TBAP, similar patterns were observed for the order of catalytic activity and oxidative stability of the used heme and non‐heme catalysts. The introduction of a methyl group at the ɑ position of styrene led to an increase in its reactivity, indicating the dominance of electronic effects over the steric ones in these catalytic systems.     

Highly stable copper/carbon dot nanofluid

Copper/carbon dot nanohybrids (Cu/CD NHs) were prepared via a facile precipitation method through a disproportionation reaction. The surface characterization was performed by various techniques such as XRD, FTIR and TEM. Then, water-based nanofluids composed of Cu/CD NHs at 0.1 and 0.5 mass% were prepared, and their thermo-physical properties including thermal conductivity, viscosity, density and specific heat were evaluated at various temperatures. The water-based Cu/CD nanofluid demonstrated to be a potential heat transfer fluid with a high stability. It was found that the thermal conductivity can be enhanced by increasing the nanoparticle concentration and temperature. Almost 1.25-fold increase in thermal conductivity has been achieved by raising the temperature up to 50 °C and at the concentration of 0.5 mass%. The heat capacity was found to increase with increasing concentration. Moreover, by increasing temperature the density and viscosity of the as-prepared nanofluid decreased, whereas the heat capacity showed an increasing trend.     

Microdroplet size prediction in microfluidic systems via artificial neural network modeling for water-in-oil emulsion formulation

In this paper, an experimental study and modeling by artificial neural networks were carried out to predict the generated microdroplet dimensionless size in a microfluidic system in order to formulate a water-in-oil emulsion. The various parameters that affect the size of microdroplets (flow rates, viscosities, surface tensions of both the two phases and the diameter of the microchannel) are studied and further grouped into dimensionless numbers; we used these numbers as input to the neural network and the dimensionless length as output. The better neural network architecture has 10 neurons in the hidden layer with a mean square error of 1.4 10^?6 and a determination’s coefficient near 1 value. The relative importance of inputs on the size of the microdroplets has been determined using the Garson algorithm and the results are in good agreement with other works.     

Development of colorimetric sensor array for discrimination of herbal medicine

Today, traditional systems of medicines (such as herbal distillates) become important resources for providing healthcare benefits. The ability to discriminate among closely similar herbal products is critical to ensure their efficacy. This article proposes a pattern-based recognition approach for the rapid discrimination of herbal distillates using a low-cost and sensitive colorimetric sensor array composed of 25 indicators. The color changes of the sensor exposed to the vapor of the herbal distillates can be monitored easily with an ordinary flatbed scanner. The digital representation of the array response was analyzed with hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Using new variable selection strategy, 6 indicators among the 25 employed indicators were selected as discriminant elements of the array. So, a complete discrimination (with 100% accuracy) of 46 herbal distillates was achieved. The proposed sensor represented a better resolution when analytes were placed in an oven at 85 °C for 45 min. This colorimetric sensor array demonstrates excellent potential for quality assurance/control applications of herbal distillates.     

Flow injection-based cloud point extraction of phosalone and ethion in seawater of Chabahar Bay and determination by high-performance liquid chromatography: study of use of carbon nanotube and nanofibers as a column filler in flow system

This study presents an easy and cost-effective flow-based cloud point extraction (CPE) method for determining partial amounts of two organophosphorus pesticides (phosalone and ethion) in seawater by HPLC–UV–Vis. In continues CPE methodology, the effect of the different column packing type such as carbon nanotube, polyacrylonitrile nanofiber and fiberglass on pesticide extraction was investigated. The Triton X-100 was utilized as nonionic surfactant, and moreover, effect of different parameters such as pH, temperature, extraction time, surfactant concentration, type and volume of the eluent solution on the extraction efficiency was optimized. Under optimum conditions, the figures of merit of the method for phosalone and ethion were obtained as: the enrichment factor (172 and 166), line range (0.8–300 and 0.5–300 µg L^?1, R ² = 0.9973 and 0.9982), relative standard deviation in concentration of 200 µg L^?1 (%RSD = %5.4 and %7.99, N = 5) and limit of detection (LOD = 0.24 and 0.14 µg L^?1). The suggested method was successfully used for determination of phosalone and ethion in Chabahar Bay seawaters with satisfactory results.     

Novel ferrocene-based ionic liquid supported on silica nanoparticles as efficient catalyst for synthesis of naphthopyran derivatives

We report synthesis of silica nanospheres containing ferrocene-tagged imidazolium acetate (SiO₂@Im-Fc[OAc]) as efficient heterogeneous nanocatalyst for synthesis of naphthopyran derivatives under solvent-free conditions, based on modification of nano SiO₂ by ionic liquid with ferrocene tags and subsequent anion metathesis reaction. The synthesized novel nanocatalyst (SiO₂@Im-Fc[OAc]) was systematically characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The catalytic activity of (SiO₂@Im-Fc[OAc]) was tested in one-pot three-component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, malononitrile, and 2-naphthol for facile synthesis of naphthopyran derivatives. To achieve high catalytic efficacy, the effects of various reaction parameters such as temperature, amount of catalyst, type of solvent, etc. were investigated. Furthermore, recovery and reuse of the nanocatalyst several times was demonstrated without appreciable loss in catalytic activity. The presented protocol offers several advantages, including green and ecofriendly nature, operational simplicity, higher yield, and easy recovery and reuse of the nanostructured catalyst. The workup of these very clean reactions involves only recrystallization of the product from ethanol and recovery of the catalyst by filtration.