Ab initio study of structural, electronic, optical, and vibrational properties of ZnxSy (x?+?y?=?2 to 5) nanoclusters

An ab initio study of the stability, structural, electronic. and optical properties has been performed for 46 zinc sulfide nanoclusters Zn _x S _y (x + y = n = 2 to 5). Five out of them are seen to be unstable as their vibrational frequencies are found to be imaginary. A B3LYP-DFT/6-311G(3df) method is employed to optimize the geometries and a TDDFT method is used for the study of the optical properties. The binding energies (BE), HOMO-LUMO gaps and the bond lengths have been obtained for all the clusters. For the ZnS₂, ZnS₃, and ZnS₄ nanoclusters, our stable structures are seen to be different from those obtained earlier by using the effective core potentials. We have also considered the zero point energy (ZPE) corrections ignored by the earlier workers. For a fixed value of n, we designate the most stable structure the one, which has maximum final binding energy per atom. The adiabatic and vertical ionization potentials (IP) and electron affinities (EA), charges on the atoms, dipole moments, optical properties, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities, relative infrared intensities, and Raman scattering activities have been investigated for the most stable structures. The nanoclusters containing large number of S atoms for each n is found to be most stable. The HOMO-LUMO gap decreases from n = 2–3 and then increases above n = 3. The IP and EA both fluctuate with the cluster size n. The optical absorption is quite weak in visible region but strong in the ultraviolet region in most of the nanoclusters except a few. The optical absorption spectrum or electron energy loss spectrum (EELS) is unique for every nanocluster and may be used to characterize a specific nanocluster. The growth of most stable nanoclusters may be possible in the experiments.     

Quantum chemical study on gas phase decomposition of ferulic acid

Ferulic acid, representing phenolic fraction of bio-oil, is considered to be a model compound in this study for its decomposition into various end products such as ethylbenzene, eugenol, cis-isoeugenol, vanillin, 4-ethylguaiacol, guaiacol, and acetovanillone using density functional theory approach. Results of bond dissociation energies indicate that cleavage of methyl group from ferulic acid is the lowest energy-demanding bond scission amongst all 14 bond cleavages. Primary end product by decomposition of ferulic acid is found to be ethylbenzene and its production occurs through the formation of intermediate products such as 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, cinnamic acid and styrene. Demethoxylation of ferulic acid gives rise to the production of 4-hydroxycinnamic acid which further undergoes the formation of cinnamic acid by dehydroxylation reaction route. The formation of cinnamic acid in this study is carried out using three reaction schemes 1–3 and its further reduction to ethylbenzene is performed using two reaction possibilities. Finally, favourable pathway is found to be decarboxylation of cinnamic acid to produce vinylbenzene followed by the production of ethylbenzene using hydrogenation of C=C chain double bond. Furthermore, thermochemistry of each reaction scheme is performed at atmospheric pressure and at a wide range of temperature of 598–898 K.     

N-methyl Benzimidazole Tethered Cholic Acid Amphiphiles Can Eradicate S. aureus-Mediated Biofilms and Wound Infections

Infections associated with Gram-positive bacteria like S. aureus pose a major threat as these bacteria can develop resistance and thereby limit the applications of antibiotics. Therefore, there is a need for new antibacterials to mitigate these infections. Bacterial membranes present an attractive therapeutic target as these membranes are anionic in nature and have a low chance of developing modifications in their physicochemical features. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can disrupt the microbial membranes via electrostatic interactions, but the poor stability of AMPs halts their clinical translation. Here, we present the synthesis of eight N-methyl benzimidazole substituted cholic acid amphiphiles as antibacterial agents. We screened these novel heterocyclic cholic acid amphiphiles against different pathogens. Among the series, CABI-6 outperformed the other amphiphiles in terms of bactericidal activity against S. aureus. The membrane disruptive property of CABI-6 using a fluorescence-based assay has also been investigated, and it was inferred that CABI-6 can enhance the production of reactive oxygen species. We further demonstrated that CABI-6 can clear the pre-formed biofilms and can mitigate wound infection in murine models.     

CuFe2O4 nanomaterials: Current discoveries in synthesis,catalytic efficiency in coupling reactions,and their environmental applications

In the last few decades, there has been enormous growth in ferrite nanoparticles. Magnetic, optical, and electrical properties of ferrites gain consideration due to their use in various applications such as rechargeable lithium batteries, medical diagnostics, solar energy devices, and so forth. A vast increase in interest in ferrite nanoparticles has led them to be used as catalysts in various applications as they possess a large surface area-to-volume ratio. Furthermore, iron-based magnetic characteristics make it simple to retrieve catalysts by using an external magnet. Iron's catalytic potential, however, is far less than copper's. Therefore, the catalytic scope is substantially increased by substituting copper within the crystal lattice. Recently copper ferrite nanoparticles have caught the interest of numerous researchers due to low-cost magnetic material, stability under diverse conditions, and ease at which catalyst can be retrieved using an external magnetic field and utilized repeatedly. This review of data from year 2010 through 2022 emphasizes the synthesis method, structure, application in dyes degradation, catalytic potential in the number of coupling reactions, recyclability, and reusability of the magnetic catalyst.     

Advances in the Chemistry of 2,4,6-Tri(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine

Heterocyclic systems are now considered to be an integral part of material chemistry. Thiophene, selenophene, furan, pyrrole, carbazole, triazine and others are some such examples worth mentioning. 2,4,6-Tri(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine is a C_3h-symmetric system with thiophene as the donor unit and s-triazine as the acceptor unit. This review gives an insight into the advances made in the thienyl-triazine chemistry over the past two to three decades. The synthetic pathways for arriving at this system and all its important derivatives are provided. The major focus is on the materials synthesized using the thienyl-triazine system, including star molecules, linear and hyperbranched polymers, porous materials and their diverse applications. This review will play a catalytic role for new dimensions to be explored in thienyl-triazine chemistry.     

Recent trends in synthetic strategies using magnetic nanostructures as green catalysts in synthesis of pyran analogues

In recent years, magnetic nanoparticles and nanocomposites play an important role as a nanocatalyst in the creation of a wide range of bioactive heterocycles with extraordinarily high activity and selectivity, low energy consumption, and extended life. Among all heterocycles, many natural products, pharmaceuticals, and bioactive compounds contain pyran scaffolds which have a wide range of uses in biomedical research, industry, and medicine. Additionally, these are also widely used in the synthesis of novel heterocyclic systems as precursors. This study focused on recent advances in the last 5 years in using various magnetic recoverable and recycled nanoparticles and nanocomposites to synthesize pyran derivatives and their pharmacological activity. This article has been classified into three subsections: (i) MNPs-metal nanocomposite catalyzed reactions, (ii) MNPs-organic based nanocomposite catalyzed reactions, and (iii) MNPs-ionic liquid nanocomposite catalyzed reactions and (iv) MNPs-acid based nanocomposite to describe catalytic efficiency of magnetic nanocomposites for the synthesis of pyran derivatives. A comparative study of nanocomposites and different approaches for green synthesis of pyrans by highlighting the advantages and disadvantages along with catalyst recovery and recyclability has been mentioned, which will help scientists to probe and stimulate the study of these scaffolds.