Desulfurization of sour crude oil using an invasive weed adsorbent: An efficient,eco-friendly,and ultra-low-cost option

Desulfurization is a technology commonly used by refineries to mitigate the environmental burden caused by toxic gas emissions from hydrocarbon fuels. Expanding global population will increase liquid fuel demand by 20% between 2018 and 2050, with a total consumption of 240 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2050. Conventional catalytic Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) accounts for high cost and severe operating conditions (high temperature, pressure, catalyst poisoning and H₂S safety). While studies have shown that adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) is highly effective in the removal of organic sulfur, limitations in the regeneration of adsorbent and selection of adsorbent with suitable structure to remove organic sulfur compounds exist. On the other hand, Prosopis juliflora, the world's most threatening invasive weed causes multifaceted environmental problems. The present study offers a novel solution that addresses both these issues contributing to climate change. Desulfurization of sour crude oil sample is performed using chemical-free, non-activated charcoal obtained from invasive weed species as adsorbent. XRD analysis showed amorphous structure and FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of CC bending functional group of the adsorbent. Adsorption-desorption isotherm showed presence of mesopores with pore diameter of 2.718 ?nm. Kinetic study findings reported 46% removal of total sulfur. GCMS findings showed efficient removal of some organic sulfur, including 100% removal of dibenzothiophene 4-methyl -. The equilibrium data is best represented by Freundlich isotherm. ICP-OES tests indicate the removal of toxic elements as well. The cost of the adsorbent is USD 0.12628 per kg, the lowest among all the adsorbents known thus far. The present study describes a novel, ultra-low cost, efficient, eco-friendly, desulfurization process that implements a chemical-free, non-activated adsorbent, achieves synergy, and offers multi-dimensional benefits to the environmental development. To our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize desulfurization of sour crude oil using an invasive weed.     

Novel sphingolipids from Conyza canadensis

New sphingolipids, 1,3,5-trihydroxy-2-hexadecanoylamino-(6E,9E)-heptacosdiene (1). 1,3,5-trihydroxy-2-hexadecanoylamino-(6E,9E)-heptacosdiene-1-O-glucopyranoside (2). 1,3-dihydroxy-2-hexanoylamino-(4E)-heptadecene (3). have been isolated from Conyza canadensis, along with five known compounds, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 3,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid, 3beta-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid, and 3beta-erythrodiol, isolated for the first time from this species. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods ((1)H- and (13)C-NMR, IR and MS) and two dimensional (2D)-NMR experiments.     

Sulfamic acid: an efficient, cost-effective and recyclable solid acid catalyst for the Friedlander quinoline synthesis

o-Aminoaryl ketones undergo smooth condensation with α-methylene ketones in the presence of sulfamic acid (NH₂SO₃H) (SA) under mild reaction conditions to afford the corresponding polysubstituted quinolines in excellent yields. The catalyst can be recovered by simple filtration and can be recycled in subsequent reactions. The method is simple, cost-effective and environmentally benign.     

A Post‐Synthetically Modified MOF for Selective and Sensitive Aqueous‐Phase Detection of Highly Toxic Cyanide Ions

Selective and sensitive detection of toxic cyanide (CN^?) by a post‐synthetically altered metal–organic framework (MOF) has been achieved. A post‐synthetic modification was employed in the MOF to incorporate the specific recognition site with the CN^? ion over all other anions, such as Cl^?, Br^?, and SCN^?. The aqueous‐phase sensing and very low detection limit, the essential prerequisites for an effective sensory material, have been fulfilled by the MOF. Moreover, the present detection level meets the standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the permissible limit of cyanide concentration in drinking water. The utilization of MOF‐based materials as the fluorometric probes for selective and sensitive detection of CN^? ions has not been explored till now.     

Effect of swift heavy ion irradiation on dilute Fe-doped Sb0.95Se0.05 magnetic semiconductor

A thin film of dilute Fe (0.008)-doped Sb_0.95Se_0.05 alloy was grown on silicon substrate using the thermal evaporation technique. This film was irradiated with swift heavy ions (SHIs) Ag⁺¹⁵ having 200?MeV energy at ion fluences of 1?×?10¹² and 5?×?10¹² ions per cm², respectively. The thickness of the thin film was ～500?nm. We study the effect of irradiation on structural, electrical, surface morphology and magnetic properties of this film using grazing angle XRD (GAXRD), DC resistivity, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM), respectively. GAXRD suggests that no significant change is observed in this system due to SHI irradiation. The average crystallite size increases with fluence, whereas the AFM image shows the rms roughness decreases due to irradiation with respect to the un-irradiated thin film. The MFM image shows that the magnetic interaction in irradiated film decreases due to the irradiation effect. Although the un-irradiated sample shows metal to semiconducting transition, but after irradiation with fluence of 5?×?10¹² ions per cm², the sharpness of the metal to semiconducting phase transition is observed to increase dramatically at ～300?K. This characteristic of the thin film makes it a promising candidate for an electrical switching device after irradiation.     

Synthesis,characterization, X-ray diffraction studies and biological evaluation of tert-butyl 4-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-piperazine-1-carboxylate and tert-butyl 4-(2-hydrazino-2-oxoethyl)piperazine-1-carboxylate

Two derivatives of N-Boc piperazine, an ester derivative, i.e., tert-butyl 4-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-piperazine-1-carboxylate (1), and, a hydrazide derivative tert-butyl 4-(2-hydrazino-2-oxoethyl)piperazine-1-carboxylate (2) were synthesized and were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H & ¹³C NMR and LCMS spectroscopic studies. The structures of both 1 and 2 were further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The molecule of 1 is linear in shape with the ethyl acetate moiety adopting fully extended conformation, while the molecule of 2 is L-shaped with the molecule being twisted at the C10 atom. The crystal structure of 1 adopts a two-dimensional zig-zag architecture featuring C–H…O intermolecular interactions, while that of 2 features strong N–H…O hydrogen bonds and intermolecular interactions of the type N–H…N and C–H…N, resulting in a two-dimensional structure. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the intermolecular interactions and crystal packing of 1 and 2 via Hirshfeld surface analysis and fingerprint plots was performed. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of both the compounds have been studied against several microorganisms, and were found to be moderately active.     

Four-component,one-pot synthesis of spiropyrazolo pyrimidine derivatives by using recyclable nanocopper ferrite catalyst and antibacterial studies

A simple, efficient, ecofriendly, and cost-effective method has been developed for the synthesis of 16 spiropyrazolo pyrimidine derivatives (5a–5p) by a four-component, one-pot reaction of pyrimidine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione, 3-oxo-3-phenylpropanenitrile, hydrazine, and isatins (4a–4f) by using nanocopper ferrite catalyst (20?mol%) in water with excellent yields (73–91%). The isatin with electron-withdrawing groups gave products in high yields (5h and 5p). The present methodology offers an environmentally benign, cost-effective, high-yielding method with recyclable catalyst. The drug likeness or “drugability” of all the synthesized compounds were tested through rule of five (RO5) parameters. Compounds 5f, 5h, 5n, and 5p have shown one RO5 violation each. The compounds were screened for their antibacterial activity against human pathogenic bacteria wherein two of the synthesized compounds were found to possess significant antibacterial activity. Compounds showing RO5 violations had negligible antibacterial activity.     

Chiral Motifs in Highly Interpenetrated Metal–Organic Frameworks Formed from Achiral Tetrahedral Ligands**

Formation of highly interpenetrated frameworks is demonstrated. An interesting observation is the presence of very large adamantane-shaped cages in a single network, making these crystals new entries in the collection of diamondoid-type metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The frameworks were constructed by assembling tetrahedral pyridine ligands and copper dichloride. Currently, the networks’ degree of interpenetration is among the highest reported and increases when the size of the ligand is increased. Highly interpenetrated frameworks typically have low surface contact areas. In contrast, in our systems, the voids take up to 63 % of the unit cell volume. The MOFs have chiral features but are formed from achiral components. The chirality is manifested by the coordination chemistry around the metal center, the structure of the helicoidal channels, and the motifs of the individual networks. Channels of both handednesses are present within the unit cells. This phenomenon shapes the walls of the channels, which are composed of 10, 16, or 32 chains correlated with the degree of interpenetration 10-, 16-, and 32-fold, respectively. By changing the distance between the center of the ligand and the coordination moieties, we succeeded in tuning the diameter of the channels. Relatively large channels were formed, having diameters up to 31.0 Å×14.8 Å.     

Cellulase Production Under Solid-State Fermentation by Trichoderma reesei RUT C30: Statistical Optimization of Process Parameters

Sugar cane bagasse was used as substrate for cellulase production using Trichoderma reesei RUT C30, and the culture parameters were optimized for enhancing cellulase yield. The culture parameters, such as incubation temperature, duration of incubation, and inducer concentration, were optimized for enhancing cellulase yield using a Box-Behnken experimental design. The optimal level of each parameter for maximum cellulase production by the fungus was determined. Predicted results showed that cellulase production was highest (25.6 FPAase units per gram dry substrate) when the inducer concentration was 0.331 ml/gds, and the incubation temperature and time were 33 degrees C and 67 h, respectively. Crude inducer generated by cellulase action was found to be very effective in inducing cellulases. Validation of predicted results was done, and the experimental values correlated well with that of the predicted.     

Synthesis,characterization, crystal and molecular structure analysis of a novel 1-benzhydryl piperazine derivative: 1-benzhydryl-4-(2-nitro-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazine

A novel 1-benzhydryl piperazine derivative 1-benzhydryl-4-(2-nitro-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazine was synthesized by the nucleophilic substitution of 1-benzhydryl piperazine with 2-nitro-benzenesulfonyl chloride. The product obtained was characterized spectroscopically and finally confirmed by X-ray diffraction study. The title compound, C₂₃H₂₃N₃O₄S crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with cell parameters a = 13.1120(9) Å, b = 21.4990(9) Å, c = 16.655(1) Å, β = 111.352(2)°, Z = 8, and V = 4372.7(4) Å. The structure reveals that the piperazine ring is in a chair conformation. The geometry around the S atom is distorted tetrahedral. There is a large discrepancy in the bond angles around the piperazine N atoms. The structure is stablized by C–H···O type intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions.