Degradation of azithromycin using Ti/RuO<Subscript>2</Subscript> anode as catalyst followed by DPV,HPLC–UV and MS analysis

The electrodegradation of azithromycin was studied by its indirect oxidation using dimensionally stable Ti/RuO₂ anode as catalyst in the electrolyte containing methanol, 0.05 M NaHCO₃, sodium chloride and deionized water. The optimal conditions for galvanostatic electrodegradation for the azithromycin concentration of 0.472 mg cm^?3 were found to be NaCl concentration of 7 mg cm^?3 and the applied current of 300 mA. The differential pulse voltammetry using glassy carbon electrode was performed for the first time in the above-mentioned content of electrolyte for the nine concentration of azithromycin (0.075–0.675 mg cm^?3) giving the limits of azithromycin detection and of quantification as: LOD 0.044 mg cm^?3 and LOQ 0.145 mg cm^?3. The calibration curve was constructed enabling the electrolyte analysis during its electrodegradation process. The electrolyte was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The electrooxidation products were identified and after 180 min there was no azithromycin in the electrolyte while TOC analysis showed that 79% of azithromycin was mineralized. The proposed degradation scheme is presented.     

Unravelling the Time Scale of Conformational Plasticity and Allostery in Glycan Recognition by Human Galectin-1

The interaction of human galectin-1 with a variety of oligosaccharides, from di-(N-acetyllactosamine) to tetra-saccharides (blood B type-II antigen) has been scrutinized by using a combined approach of different NMR experiments, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and isothermal titration calorimetry. Ligand- and receptor-based NMR experiments assisted by computational methods allowed proposing three-dimensional structures for the different complexes, which explained the lack of enthalpy gain when increasing the chemical complexity of the glycan. Interestingly, and independently of the glycan ligand, the entropy term does not oppose the binding event, a rather unusual feature for protein-sugar interactions. CLEANEX-PM and relaxation dispersion experiments revealed that sugar binding affected residues far from the binding site and described significant changes in the dynamics of the protein. In particular, motions in the microsecond-millisecond timescale in residues at the protein dimer interface were identified in the presence of high affinity ligands. The dynamic process was further explored by extensive MD simulations, which provided additional support for the existence of allostery in glycan recognition by human galectin-1.     

Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy: A Powerful Technique to Directly Study Small Gas Molecules Adsorbed in Metal–Organic Frameworks

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown great potential in gas separation and storage, and the design of MOFs for these purposes is an on-going field of research. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectroscopy is a valuable technique for characterizing these functional materials. It can provide a wide range of structural and motional insights that are complementary to and/or difficult to access with alternative methods. In this Concept article, the recent advances made in SSNMR investigations of small gas molecules (i.e., carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen gas and light hydrocarbons) adsorbed in MOFs are discussed. These studies demonstrate the breadth of information that can be obtained by SSNMR spectroscopy, such as the number and location of guest adsorption sites, host–guest binding strengths and guest mobility. The knowledge acquired from these experiments yields a powerful tool for progress in MOF development.     

Luminescent Graphene-Based Materials via Europium Complexation on Dipyridylpyridazine-Functionalized Graphene Sheets

Graphene-based materials exhibit outstanding physical properties and so are potentially applicable in a great variety of fields. Unlike their corresponding oxides, graphite and graphene are not prone to functionalization. Diels–Alder reactions are among the scarce reactions that they can occur without disrupting their conjugated sp² systems. Herein, the reaction between graphite and 3,6-di(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine under different conditions affords several graphene-based materials consisting of dipyridylpyridazine-functionalized few-layer graphene, multilayer graphene and graphite, the sheets of which act as ligands for the grafting of a europium complex. These three materials show strong red emission under 365 nm UV radiation. Their emitting particles can be visualized by confocal microscopy. The rich coordination chemistry of dipyridylpyridazine ligands has potential novel properties for similarly functionalized graphene-based materials grafted with other metal complexes.     

Synthesis of fused indolines by interrupted Fischer indolization in a microfluidic reactor

This study describes our development of a microfluidic reaction scheme for the synthesis of fused indoline ring systems found in several bioactive compounds. We have utilized a continuous-flow microfluidic reactor for the reaction of hydrazines with latent aldehydes through the interrupted Fischer indolization reaction to form fused indoline and azaindoline products. We have identified optimal conditions and evaluated the scope of this microfluidic reaction using various hydrazine and latent aldehyde surrogates. This green chemistry approach can be of general utility to rapidly produce indoline scaffolds and intermediates in a continuous manner.     

Suppressing the environmental dependence of the open‐circuit voltage in inverted polymer solar cells through a radical polymer anodic modifier

Developing stable, readily‐synthesized, and solution‐processable transparent conducting polymers for interfacial modifying layers in organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices has become of great importance. Here, the radical polymer, poly(2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidinyloxy methacrylate (PTMA), is shown to not affect the absorption of the well‐studied poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) active layer when incorporated into inverted OPV devices, as it is highly transparent in the visible spectrum due to the non‐conjugated nature of the PTMA backbone. The inclusion of this radical polymer as an anode‐modifying layer enhanced the open‐circuit voltage and short‐circuit current density values over devices that did not contain an anodic modifier. Importantly, devices fabricated with the PTMA interlayer had performance metrics that were time‐independent over the entire course of multiples days of testing after exposing the OPV devices to ambient conditions. Furthermore, these high performance values were independent of the metal used as the top electrode contact in the inverted OPV devices. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 311–316     

New relationship of displacement signal at quadrant photodiode: Control signal analysis and simulation of a laser tracker

New relationship of displacement signal using opposite sectors on a quadrant photodiode is derived. Standard and new displacement signals are analyzed in details. Through MATLAB^® laser tracking simulation models, based on common and suggested approaches, detailed analysis is performed, and it is shown that better results for the new relationship signal processing are obtained. Within new relationship of displacement signal, the sensitivity of the system to the displacement of the spot increases and, hence, provides better accuracy in positioning up to 30%.     

Dithienoindophenines: p‐Type Semiconductors Designed by Quinoid Stabilization for Solar‐Cell Applications

Compared with the dominant aromatic conjugated materials, photovoltaic applications of their quinoidal counterparts featuring rigid and planar molecular structures have long been unexplored despite their narrow optical bandgaps, large absorption coefficients, and excellent charge‐transport properties. The design and synthesis of dithienoindophenine derivatives (DTIPs) by stabilizing the quinoidal resonance of the parent indophenine framework is reported here. Compared with the ambipolar indophenine derivatives, DTIPs with the fixed molecular configuration are found to be p‐type semiconductors exhibiting excellent unipolar hole mobilities up to 0.22 cm² V^?1 s^?1, which is one order of magnitude higher than that of the parent IP‐O and is even comparable to that of QQT(CN)4‐based single‐crystal field‐effect transistors (FET). DTIPs exhibit better photovoltaic performance than their aromatic bithieno[3,4‐b]thiophene (BTT) counterparts with an optimal power‐conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.07 %.