A Lead‐Selective Membrane Electrode Based Upon a Phosphorylated Hexahomotrioxacalix[3]Arene

Solvent extraction of a mixture of Pb^II, Mn^II, Fe^III, Co^II, Ni^II and Cd^II in aqueous perchlorate medium by a phosphorylated hexahomotrioxacalix[3]arene (calix‐3) in dichloromethane shows a significant selectivity towards lead ions. The ligand can also be incorporated into a membrane to provide a new lead ion‐selective electrode (Pb^II‐ISE). A plasticized PVC membrane containing 30% PVC, 53.5% ortho‐nitrophenyloctylether (NPOE), 4.5% sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) and 12% ionophore was directly coated on a graphite rod. This sensor gave a good Nernstian response of 29.7 ± 0.7 mV decade^?1 over a concentration range of 1 × 10^?8 – 1 × 10^?4 M of lead ions, independent of pH in the range 3‐7, with a detection limit of 0.4 × 10^?8 M. The dynamic response time of the electrode to achieve a steady potential was very fast and found to be less than 7 s. The selectivity relative to Ag⁺, NH₄⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Fe³⁺, La³⁺, Sm³⁺, Dy³⁺, Er³⁺, Y³⁺ and Th⁴⁺ was examined. The electrode exhibits adequate stability with good reproducibility (with a slope of 29.6 ± 1.5 mV for 8 weeks). The characteristics of the sensor are compared with those of a tetraphosphorylated calix[4]arene (calix‐4) based Pb^II‐ISE, reported recently. The electrode was successfully used as an indicator electrode for a potentiometric titration of a lead solution using a standard solution of EDTA. The applicability of the sensor for lead ion measurements in various synthetic samples was also investigated.     

Al Electrode Modified by Au Atoms as a Novel Electrode for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Thiosulfate

An aluminum electrode modified with gold atoms was introduced as a novel electrode. Gold atoms were deposited both chemically and electrochemically onto the aluminum electrode to make an aluminum/gold (Al/Au) modified electrode (ME). The experimental results showed that the Al/Au modified electrode prepared by chemical deposition, exhibits much more current than the electrochemical deposition method. The electrochemical behavior of the Al/Au modified electrode was studied by cyclic voltammometry. This modified electrode showed two pairs of peaks, a₁c₁ and a₂c₂, with surface‐confined characteristics in a 0.5 M phosphate buffer. The dependence of E_pa of the second peak (a₂c₂) on pH shows a Nernestian behavior with a slope of 55 mV per unit pH. The effect of different supporting electrolytes, solution's pH and different scan rates on electrochemical behavior of Al/Au modified electrode was studied. Au deposited electrochemically on a Pt electrode (Pt/Au) was also used as another modified electrode. A comparative study of electrochemical behavior of bare Al, Pt/Au and Al/Au modified electrodes showed that both Pt/Au and Al/Au electrodes have the ability of electrocatalytic oxidation of S₂O₃^2?, but the electrocatalytic oxidation on the latter was better than the former. The kinetics of the catalytic reaction was investigated by using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The average value of the rate constant for the catalytic reaction and the diffusion coefficient were evaluated by means of chronoamperometry technique.     

Ketoconazol‐Triiodide Ion Pair Complex as a Suitable Carrier in an Iodide Selective Membrane Electrode

A novel membrane sensor for selective monitoring of iodide, consisting of a triiodide‐ketoconazole ion pair complex dispersed in a PVC matrix, plasticized with a mixture of 2‐nitrophenyl octyl ether and dioctylphtalate with unique selectivity toward iodide ions, is described. The influence of membrane composition, pH of test solution and foreign ions on the electrode performance were investigated. The optimized membrane demonstrates a near‐Nernstian response for iodide ions over a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10^?2 to 1.0 × 10^?5 M, at 25 ± 1 °C. The electrode could be used over a wide pH range 3–10 and has the advantages of high selectivity, fast response time and good lifetime (over 4 months). It was successfully used as indicator electrode in potentiometric titrations and direct potentiometric assay of iodide ions.     

One-pot Three-component Condensation Reactions in Water. An Efficient and Improved Procedure for the Synthesis of Furan Annulated Heterocycles

Summary. The environment-friendly one-pot three-component condensation reactions of 4-hydroxycoumarin or 4-hydroxy-6-methylpyrone, p-substituted benzaldehyde, and alkyl or aryl isocyanides to afford furocoumarines or furopyranones in water in good yields after about one hour at 75°C are reported.     

New computer program to calculate the symmetry of molecules

In this paper we, present some MATLAB and GAP programs and use them to find the automorphism group of the Euclidean graph of the C₈₀ fullerence with connectivity and geometry of I _h symmetry point group. It is proved that this group has order 120 and is isomorphic to I _h ≊Z₂×A₅, where Z₂ is, a cyclic group of order 2 and A₅ is the alternating group on five symbols.     

Die Reaktion von Tellurhexafluorid mit Trimethylamin,Strukturen der TeF5−- und SeF5−-Anionen

Reaction of Telluriumhexafluoride and Trimethylamine, Structures of the TeF₅^? and SeF₅^? Anions The reaction of TeF₆ and (CH₃)₃N is of the redox kind, resulting in reduction of tellurium: X-ray single crystal analysis reveals the compounds (CH₃)₂N? CH₂? N(CH₃)₂⁺TeF₅^? and [(CH₃)₃NH⁺]₅(TeF₅^?)₃(HF₂^?)₂. By comparison with published data it can be shown that this mixture is identical to previously published [(CH₃)₃N]₂TeF₆. The latter was supposed to be one of the few examples of tellurium in a coordination state of eight. (CH₃)₄N⁺TeF₅^? and (CH₃)₄N⁴SeF₅^? are obtained and their structure is investigated by single crystal x-ray methods also. The anions SF₅^?, SeF₅^? and TeF₅^? are discussed in terms of weak interactions.     

Weighted Cumulative Past Extropy and Its Inference

This paper introduces and studies a new generalization of cumulative past extropy called weighted cumulative past extropy (WCPJ) for continuous random variables. We explore the following: if the WCPJs of the last order statistic are equal for two distributions, then these two distributions will be equal. We examine some properties of the WCPJ, and a number of inequalities involving bounds for WCPJ are obtained. Studies related to reliability theory are discussed. Finally, the empirical version of the WCPJ is considered, and a test statistic is proposed. The critical cutoff points of the test statistic are computed numerically. Then, the power of this test is compared to a number of alternative approaches. In some situations, its power is superior to the rest, and in some other settings, it is somewhat weaker than the others. The simulation study shows that the use of this test statistic can be satisfactory with due attention to its simple form and the rich information content behind it.     

Phytochemical Analysis and Understanding the Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties of Methanol Extract from Litsea glutinosa: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Litsea glutinosa (L. glutinosa) is considered an evidence-based medicinal plant for the treatment of cancer, the leading cause of death worldwide. In our study, the in vitro antioxidant and in vivo anticancer properties of an essential ethno-medicinal plant, L. glutinosa, were examined using non-toxic doses and a phytochemical analysis was executed using gas-chromatography–mass-spectrometry. The in vitro antioxidant study of the L. glutinosa methanolic extract (LGBME) revealed a concentration-dependent antioxidant property. The bark extract showed promising antioxidant effects in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The strongest antioxidant activity was demonstrated at the maximum concentration (50 µg/mL). The IC₅₀ values of the LGBME and BHT were 5.51 and 5.01 µg/mL, respectively. At the same concentration, the total antioxidant capacity of the LGBME was 0.161 µg/mL and the ferric reducing antioxidant power assay result of the LGBME was 1.783 µg/mL. In the cytotoxicity study, the LD₅₀ of the LGBME and gallic acid were 24.93 µg/mL and 7.23 µg/mL, respectively. In the in vivo anticancer-activity studies, the LGBME, particularly at a dose of 150 mg/kg/bw, showed significant cell-growth inhibition, decreased tumor weight, increased mean survival rate, and upregulated the reduced hematological parameters in EAC (Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma)-induced Swiss albino mice. The highest cell-growth inhibition, 85.76%, was observed with the dose of 150 mg/kg/bw. Furthermore, the upregulation of pro-apoptotic genes (p53, Bax) and the downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 were observed. In conclusion, LGBME extract has several bioactive phytoconstituents, which confirms the antioxidant and anticancer properties of L. glutinosa.     

Nardoguaianone L Isolated from Nardostachys jatamansi Improved the Effect of Gemcitabine Chemotherapy via Regulating AGE Signaling Pathway in SW1990 Cells

Pancreatic cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and is known as “the king of cancers”. Currently, gemcitabine (GEM) as the clinical drug of choice for chemotherapy of advanced pancreatic cancer has poor drug sensitivity and ineffective chemotherapy. Nardoguaianone L (G-6) is a novel guaiane-type sesquiterpenoid isolated from Nardostachys jatamansi DC., and it exhibits anti-tumor activity. Based on the newly discovered G-6 with anti-pancreatic cancer activity in our laboratory, this paper aimed to evaluate the potential value of the combination of G-6 and GEM in SW1990 cells, including cell viability, cell apoptosis, colony assay and tandem mass tags (TMT) marker-based proteomic technology. These results showed that G-6 combined with GEM significantly inhibited cell viability, and the effect was more obvious than that with single drug. In addition, the use of TMT marker-based proteomic technology demonstrated that the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway was activated after medication-combination. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) assays were used to validate the proteomic results. Finally, apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. In conclusion, G-6 combined with GEM induced an increase in ROS level and a decrease in MMP in SW1990 cells through the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, ultimately leading to apoptosis. G-6 improved the effect of GEM chemotherapy and may be used as a potential combination therapy for pancreatic cancer.