Adsorption of triton X-100 on silica gel: effects of temperature and alcohols

Adsorption of Triton X-100 (TX-100) on silica gel has been studied as a function of temperature (308–328 K) and composition for mixtures of water with ethanol or t-butanol. The adsorption capacity of silica gel for TX-100 decreases with increase in alcohol content. Adsorption isotherms of TX-100 on silica gel are four-region and were analyzed using the ARIAN (adsorption isotherm regional analysis) model. Data in regions 2, 3 and 4 were fitted to the Temkin, bilayer and reverse desorption isotherms, respectively. The results show that adsorption of TX-100 on silica gel in water and alcohol-water binary mixtures occurs mainly through formation of monolayer surface aggregates or low bilayer coverage.      

Light expanded clay aggregate (LECA) as a support for TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>, Fe/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>, and Cu/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanocrystalline photocatalysts: a comparative study on the structure,morphology, and activity

In this work, TiO₂ and doped TiO₂ photocatalysts (Fe/TiO₂ and Cu/TiO₂) were synthesized by the sol–gel method. The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of dopants on the structure, morphology, and activity of the catalysts in powder and immobilized states. XRF, XRD, and SEM methods were used to characterize the catalysts. The structure and phase distribution of the nanocrystalline powders were identified by XRD. Nanoparticles crystallite size and the degree of crystallinity were affected by doping. The anatase contents of catalysts were achieved as follows: TiO₂ (5.89 %) < Fe/TiO₂ (42.17 %) < Cu/TiO₂ (70.28 %). It was indicated that the activity of the catalysts strongly depends on the anatase content. Under the same circumstances, copper-modified TiO₂ exhibited a twofold higher photocatalytic activity compared with TiO₂. The nanostructured catalysts were immobilized on light expanded clay aggregate (LECA) granules in order to investigate the effect of a novel support on the activity of the catalysts. Morphological changes are recognizable in the SEM images. Activity tests indicated that the best catalytic performance was assigned to Cu/TiO₂/LECA. After 120 min of irradiation, 61 % degradation of phenol in synthetic wastewater was achieved. The high photocatalytic activity of Cu/TiO₂/LECA confirms that LECA is as an excellent support.     

An efficient ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of ethyl-5-(aryl)-2-(2-alkokxy-2-oxoethylidene)-7-methyl-3-oxo-3, 5-dihydro-2H-thiazolo [3, 2-a] pyrimidine-6-carboxylate derivatives

Dihydropyrimidinone derivatives were prepared by tri-component reaction of ethyl aceto acetate, aldehydes and thiourea in the presence of modified montmorillonite nanostructure as a catalyst and used as key intermediates for the synthesis of ethyl-5-(aryl)-2-(2-alkokxy-2-oxoethylidene)-7-methyl-3-oxo-3,5-dihydro-2H-thiazolo[3,2-a]pyri midine-6-carboxylate derivatives with use of diethyl and dimethyl acetylene dicarboxylate by two methods: (a) in methanol as a solvent under ultrasonic irradiation at ambient temperature (b) in methanol as a solvent at ambient temperature (conventional magnetic stirring). Ultrasound-assisted synthesis provides excellent yields in short reaction times (15–25 min) at room temperature.     

Green synthesis,characterization, and biological activities of saffron leaf extract-mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles: A sustainable approach to reuse an agricultural waste

To increase the profitability and sustainability of agricultural waste, a facile green approach was established to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using saffron leaf extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Structural characteristics of NPs were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and UV–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. Characterization results revealed that ZnO NPs is highly crystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and spherical particles with diameter less than 50 nm, as confirmed by XRD and FESEM techniques. UV–Vis absorption spectra depicted an absorption peak at 370 nm, which confirms the formation of ZnO NPs. FTIR spectral analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups and metal oxygen groups. The biological activities of ZnO NPs were also investigated. The antibacterial effect of ZnO NPs was investigated against selected food pathogens (Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Enterococcus faecalis). The study results prove that the green synthesized ZnO NPs show enhanced antibacterial activity against S. Typhimurium when compared with other strains. A dose-dependent free radical scavenging activity was observed for ZnO NPs in both 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) assays. The ZnO NPs were evaluated for their photocatalytic activity during the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solutions. The maximum removal of MB achieved was 64% with an initial ZnO NP concentration of 12 mg/mL under UV light. The present study revealed that the agricultural waste (saffron leaf) provides a simple and eco-friendly option to sustainably synthesize ZnO NPs for use as a photocatalyst. In addition, this is the first report on saffron leaf-mediated synthesis of ZnO NPs.     

MgO Nanoparticles as a Recyclable Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Synthesis of Polyhydroquinoline Derivatives under Solvent Free Conditions

Magnesium oxide nanopartticels in average size between 35–120 nm were prepared by sonochemistry method. Synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives using MgO nanoparticles from the reaction of dimedone, benzaldehyde, ethyl acetoacetate and ammonium acetate under solvent‐free conditions is reported. Easy handling, reusability, thermal stability and non‐toxicity of the catalyst make the present protocol as an eco‐friendly and economically acceptable method for synthesis of these heterocycles.     

Improvement in gas separation properties of a polymeric membrane through the incorporation of inorganic nano‐particles

The present work tries to introduce a high‐performance nano‐composite membrane by using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as its main polymer matrix to meet some specific requirements in industrial gas separations. Different nano‐composite membranes were synthesized by incorporating various amounts of nano‐sized silica particles into the PDMS matrix. A uniform dispersion of nano‐particles in the host membranes was obtained. The nano‐composite membranes were characterized morphologically by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Separation properties, permeability, and ideal selectivity of C₃H₈, CH₄, and H₂ through the synthesized nano‐composite membranes with different nano‐particle contents (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 wt%) were investigated at different pressures (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 atm) and constant temperature (35°C). It was found out that a 2 wt% loading of nano‐particles into the PDMS matrix is optimal to obtain the best separation performance. Afterwards, sorption experiments for the synthesized nano‐composite membranes were carried out, and diffusion coefficients of the gases were calculated based on solution‐diffusion mechanism. Gas permeation and sorption experiments showed an increase in sorption and a decrease in diffusion coefficients of the gases through the nano‐composite membranes by adding nano‐particles into the host polymer matrix. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solvent influence upon complexation of N-phenylaza-15-crown-5 with UO2 2+ cation in binary mixed non-aqueous solvents

The complexation reaction of N-phenylaza-15-crown-5 (PhA15C5) with UO₂ ²⁺ cation was studied in acetonitrile–methanol (AN–MeOH), acetonitrile–butanol (AN–BuOH), acetonitrile–dimethylformamide (AN–DMF) and methanol–propylencarbonate (MeOH–PC) binary solutions, at different temperatures by conductometry method. The conductance data show that the stoichiometry of the complex formed between PhA15C5 with UO₂ ²⁺ cation in most cases is 1:1 [M:L], but in some solvent systems a 1:2 [M:L₂] complex is formed in solutions. The results revealed that, the stability constant of (PhA15C5·UO₂)²⁺ complex in the binary mixed solvents varies in the order: AN–BuOH>AN–MeOH>AN–DMF. In the case of the pure organic solvents, the sequence of the stability of the complex changes as: AN>PC>BuOH>DMF. A non-linear relationship was observed for changes of logK_f of (PhA15C5·UO₂)²⁺ complex versus the composition of the binary mixed solvents. The corresponding standard thermodynamic parameters (ΔH_c°, ΔS_c°) were obtained from temperature dependence of the stability constant. The results show that the values and also the sign of these parameters are influenced by the nature and composition of the mixed solvents.     

One-pot three-component process for the synthesis of substituted pyrano[2,3-<Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis>]pyrazoles catalyzed by nanostructured FSM-16-SO<Subscript>3</Subscript>H

A three-component process for the one-pot synthesis of 6-amino-4-aryl-5-cyano-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1,4-dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles by the reaction of aldehydes, 3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one, and malononitrile in the presence of FSM-16-SO₃H as an efficient mesoporous catalyst. The FSM-16-SO₃H was prepared and characterized by SEM, XRD, BET, and FT-IR techniques. The advantages of the presented method are high yields, short reaction times, easy purification of products, easy work-up, and reusability of the catalyst.     

Dehydration of acetonitrile using cross-linked sodium alginate membrane containing nano-sized NaA zeolite

Pervaporation (PV) separation of water–acetonitrile mixture using sodium alginate (NaAlg) based mixed matrix membranes (MMM) comprising different amounts of nano NaA zeolite (10, 20 and 30 wt%) is investigated in various concentrations of water and temperatures. The prepared membranes are modified by sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) as a crosslinking agent. NaAlg-NaA/SSA membranes are synthesized by a solution casting technique. The process and membrane performance including separation factor, flux and activation energy of permeation are determined. Results reveal that adding of nano zeolite may lead to an increase in the flux and the separation factor of sodium alginate membrane up to 123 and 169%. In addition, using MMM in dehydration of a feed containing 30 wt% of water shows much better performance than alginate membrane. Furthermore, the activation energy of water permeation through MMM is predicted lower than sodium alginate membrane which reflects the facilitated permeation of water through MMM.     

Preparation of Nano Silica Supported Sodium Hydrogen Sulfate: As an Efficient Catalyst for the Trimethyl,Triethyl and t‐Butyldimethyl Silylations of Aliphatic and Aromatic Alcohols in Solution and under Solvent‐free Conditions

Nano silica supported sodium hydrogen sulfate has been prepared by mixing NaHSO₄ with activated Nano silicagel. We wish to report a new method for the synthesis of trimethyl (TMS), triethyl (TES) and t‐butyldimethyl silyl (TBS) ethers from benzylic, allylic, propargylic alcohols, phenols, naphtholes and some of phenolic drugs in the solution and under solvent‐free conditions.