A selective colorimetric and fluorescence chemosensing sensor for Cr<Superscript>3+</Superscript> based on a rhodamine base derivative

A rhodamine-conjugated coumarin (L) was used in designing a selective fluorescence chemosensor for the determination of trace amounts of Cr³⁺ ions in acetonitrile–water (MeCN/H₂O (90:10, %v/v) solutions. The intensity of the fluoresce emission of the chemosensor is intensified upon addition of Cr³⁺ ions in MeCN/H₂O (90:10, %v/v) solutions, due to the formation of a selective 1:1 complex between L and Cr³⁺ ions. The fluorescence enhancement versus Cr³⁺ concentration has been found to be linear from 1.0?×?10^?7 to 1.8?×?10^?5 M and a detection limit of 7.5?×?10^?8 M. The proposed fluorescent probe proved to be highly selective towards Cr³⁺ ions as compared to other common metal ions and could be successfully applied to the determination of Cr³⁺ concentrations in some water and wastewater samples.     

MPEC-IMI as an effective green inhibitor to protect Q235 steel in 0.5 M HCl medium

Imidazole (IMI)-based polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (MPEC-IMI) as a novel green corrosion inhibitor was synthesized to protect the Q235 steel in 0.5 M HCl corrosive medium at 318 K. The inhibition performance of MPEC-IMI was investigated by weight loss measurement, the electrochemical method (Tafel and EIS) and surface analysis (SEM and EDX). The results reveal that the MPEC-IMI shows enhanced anticorrosion performance for carbon steel, which is attributed to the formation of the adsorptive protection film on the surface, and the type of adsorption basically obeys the Langmuir monolayer adsorption. Furthermore, when the concentration of MPEC-IMI is 300 mg L^?1, the corrosion inhibition efficiency can reach up to 92.00%. In support of further study of the corrosion inhibition behavior by virtue of quantum chemical calculation and molecular dynamics simulations, the results show that the MPEC-IMI molecule has high reactivity and strong interaction on the iron surface.     

Textural,structural and catalytic behavior of low specific area silica-supported copper catalysts: effect of preparation method

Supported copper catalysts on low surface area silica were prepared by several methods and characterized by AAS, XRD, N₂ adsorption, SEM, H₂-TPR, N₂O titration, TGA-DTA, UV–Vis techniques. Their hydrogenating properties were examined in the gas-phase hydrogenation of benzaldehyde. The analysis of characterization results revealed that the choice of preparation method affected the texture, composition, and structure of the calcined and reduced Cu/SiO₂ catalysts. The dispersion and size distribution of copper species was present in different forms in the catalysts that exhibited low specific surface areas. In gas-phase hydrogenation of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol, the catalysts tested at the reaction temperatures of 160 and 200 °C were stable and conducted to a good catalytic activity and benzyl alcohol selectivity ranging between 5 and 39 µmol min^?1 g^?1 and 0–95%, respectively. The activity of the catalysts in gas-phase hydrogenation also depended on the particle size and the nature of copper species formed on low surface area silica.     

Fly ash supported NiO as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of xanthene and its molecular docking study against plasmodium glutathione reductase

A novel fly ash supported NiO (FA–NiO) nanocomposite solid heterogeneous catalyst has been prepared by impregnation of Ni(NO₃)₂ · 6H₂O on thermally activated fly ash (FA) support. FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, TEM and BET techniques were employed to characterize the catalyst. The catalytic adeptness of FA–NiO was tested and optimized in xanthene formation. Catalyst gave very high yield and good purity. Stability of the catalyst could be promising as it easily recovered and reused giving a similar yield up to four cycles. FA–NiO is an efficient catalyst providing an environmentally clean process for xanthene formation and for developing a revolutionary way to use the majority of waste fly ash. Further, we have also performed docking simulation between 1ONF and a xanthene molecule to evaluate binding orientation and affinity of the ligand.     

Ion-pair recognition based on halogen bonding: a case of the crown-ether receptor with iodo-trizole moiety

The development of halogen-bond-based ditopic receptors capable of binding simultaneously both a cation and an anion has attracted recent research interest. In this work, the crown-ether receptor 1, which consists of an iodo-trizole moiety for anion recognition through halogen bonding and a Lewis-basic center for cation binding, was investigated using density functional theory calculations. The structural and energetic features for the complexes of 1 with single cations, single halide anions, and ion pairs were explored. Intermolecular interactions in these complexes were systematically analyzed by the atoms in molecules and noncovalent interaction index methods. The presence of the coordinated cation significantly increases the anion-binding affinity, while the binding of halide anions has a slight influence on the cation-binding affinity. Anti-cooperative effects were found in the ion-pair recognition of 1, due to the strong attraction between the two counterions in the complexes. The solvent weakens the interaction strength considerably, and anti-cooperativity becomes very small in solvent. The results reported in this work are of fundamental importance in the design of ion-pair receptors based on halogen bonding.     

Searching for a new family of modified CL-20 cage derivatives with high energy and low sensitivity

A new family of energetic caged compounds was designed by introducing -NH- into the CL-20 skeleton and their energetic properties and impact sensitivity were investigated by using density functional theory. The results indicate that favorable substitution positions of the amine groups in the skeleton is helpful for increasing the heats of formation. Most of the seven compounds have high crystal densities above 1.9 g/cm³. Five compounds have the predominant detonation properties over CL-20. The derivatives with one NH₂ group have lower impact sensitivity than those with two NH₂ groups. Taking the detonation performance and impact sensitivity into consideration, four compounds may be selected as the potential candidates of high energy density compounds.     

Computational study of the thermal decomposition and the thermochemistry of allyl ethers and allyl sulfides

In spite of the several experimental and computational studies on the thermal decomposition of allyl ethers and allyl sulfides, there are still disagreements on aspects of the reaction mechanism, such as the true nature of the transition states and the grade of synchronicity of the reactions. This work presents a computational study of the gas-phase thermolysis reaction of allyl ethers and allyl sulfides substituted at α-carbon, at the M05-2X/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory and a temperature range from 586.15 to 673.15 K. The substituent groups were methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, i-propyl, allyl, benzyl and acetonyl. It was found that the sulfides react faster than the homologous ethers and that the substituent groups with the capacity of delocalize charge increase the reaction rate. Through natural bond orbital calculations, the transition states were characterized. The synchronicities and atomic charges of the studied reactions were determined. A computational study at the G3 level of theory on the thermochemistry of allyl ethers and sulfides was also carried out.     

Four supramolecular transition metal(II) complexes based on triazole-benzoic acid derivatives: crystal structure,Hirshfeld surface analysis,and spectroscopic and thermal properties

Four new complexes [M(3-tba)₂(H₂O)₄] (1–3) and [Co(4-tba)₂(H₂O)₄] (4) {M = Zn (1), Ni (2), Co (3), 3-Htba = 3-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)benzoic acid, 4-Htba = 4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)benzoic acid} have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions and structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Complexes 1–4 are also determined by elemental analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, IR and electronic spectroscopy. Single crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that complexes 1–3 are isostructural and they crystallize in the orthorhombic space group of Pbca, while complex 4 belongs to triclinic system with Pī space group. Based on different intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π···π stacking interactions, complexes 1–4 further assembled into 3D supramolecular frameworks. Hirshfeld surface analysis was used to further study the intermolecular interactions of the complexes. The thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) reveal that these complexes possess good thermal stability, and the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses show intense exothermic phenomena in the decomposition processes of triazole groups. Besides, the photoluminescence property of complex 1 in the solid state is also determined.     

Computational study on the mechanisms and kinetics of the CH<Subscript>2</Subscript>=CHCH<Subscript>2</Subscript>I with OH reaction

The potential energy surface for the reaction of OH with CH₂═CHCH₂I has been studied at the CCSD(T)//M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. Three different reaction entrances were revealed, namely, terminal-C addition, central-C addition, and H-abstraction, leading to CH₂OHCHCH₂I (IM1), CH₂CHOHCH₂I (IM2), and H₂O?+?C₃H₄I, respectively. Several conceivable decomposition and isomerization channels were also examined for IM1 and IM2. The total and individual rate constants were calculated by using multichannel RRKM and TST theories over a wide range of temperatures (200–3000 K) and pressures(10^?14–10¹⁴ Torr).