Pore-functionalized polymer membranes for preconcentration of heavy metal ions

Functionalized membranes containing carboxylate, phosphate and sulfonate groups were prepared by UV-initiator induced graft polymerization of the functional monomer (acrylic acid, ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate (EGMP) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid) with a crosslinker (methylenebisacrylamide) in the pores of poly(propylene) host membranes. The functionalized membranes thus obtained were characterized by gravimetry, FTIR spectroscopy, radiotracers and scanning electron microscopy for the degree of grafting and water uptake, presence of functional groups, ion-exchange capacity, and physical structure of the membranes, respectively. The uptakes of Cs⁺, Ag⁺, Sr²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Eu³⁺, Am³⁺, Hf⁴⁺ and Pu⁴⁺ ions in the functionalized membranes were studied as a function of acidity of the equilibrating aqueous solution. Among the functionalized membranes prepared in the present work, the EGMP-grafted membrane (with phosphate groups) showed acid concentration dependent selectivity towards multivalent metal ions like Eu³⁺, Am³⁺, Hf⁴⁺ and Pu⁴⁺. The solvent extraction studies of EGMP monomer in methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) solvent indicated that divalent and trivalent metal ions form complexes with EGMP in 1:2 proportion, but the distribution coefficients of trivalent metal ions were significantly higher that for the divalent ions. The uptakes of Eu³⁺ ions in monomeric EGMP (dissolved in MIBK) and polymeric EGMP (in the forms of crosslinked gel and membrane) were studied as a function of concentration of H⁺ ions in the equilibrating solution. This study indicated that polymeric EGMP has better binding ability towards Eu³⁺ as compared to monomeric EGMP. The variation of distribution coefficients of Eu³⁺/Am³⁺ in gel and membrane as a function of H⁺ ion concentration in the equilibrating aqueous solution indicated that ionic species held in the membrane and gel were not same. These results indicated that proximity of functional groups (phosphate) plays an important role in metal ion binding with polymeric EGMP.     

Synthesis,characterization, antimicrobial and diuretic study of Mg(II), Mn(II), Fe(II) and VO(II) complexes of chemotherapeutic importance

The synthesis, characterization and diuretic activity of four new biologically active complexes of Mg(II) and VO(II) with bidentate Schiff base ligand acetazolamide–salicylaldimine (L) obtained from the inserted condensation of 5-acetamido-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-sulphonamide (acetazolamide) with salicylaldehyde in a 1:1 molar ratio have been reported. Using this bidentate ligand complexes of Mg(II), Mn(II), Fe(II) and VO(II) with general formula ML₂ have been synthesized. The synthesized complexes were characterized by several techniques using elemental analysis, FT-IR, electronic spectra, TGA, mass, particle size analysis and molar conductance measurements. The elemental analysis data suggest the stoichiometry to be 1:2 [M:L]. The molar conductance measurements suggest non-electrolytic nature of the complexes. Infrared spectral data agreed with the coordination to the central metal ion through deprotonated phenolic oxygen and azomethine nitrogen atoms. On the basis of spectral studies, octahedral geometry is suggested for Mg(II), Mn(II), Fe(II) and square pyramidal geometry is suggested for VO(II) complexes. The pure drug, synthesized ligand and metal(II) complexes were screened for their antimicrobial activities against Eschericia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavous. The results show that the metal complexes were more active than the ligand and pure drug against these microbial species as expected. The ligand and its Mg(II) complexes was screened for their diuretic activity also.     

Toward understanding the scope of Baylis-Hillman reaction: synthesis of 3-(2- hydroxyphenyl)indolin-2-ones and polycyclic fused furans

A facile one-pot synthesis of 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)indolin-2-ones has been developed via the TiCl₄-mediated Baylis-Hillman (B-H) reaction of N-substituted isatins and cyclohex-2-enone, followed by treatment of the in situ generated B-H alcohols with aq HBr. Baylis-Hillman reaction of aromatic cyclic 1,2-diones with cycloalk-2-enones under the influence of TiCl₄ has been successfully performed and the resulting Baylis-Hillman adducts have been conveniently transformed into pentacyclic and hexacyclic fused furan derivatives.     

Anomalous solubility of polyacrylamide prepared by dispersion (precipitation) polymerization in aqueous tert‐butyl alcohol

Polyacrylamide prepared by dispersion (precipitation) polymerization in an aqueous t‐butyl alcohol (TBA) medium is only partially soluble when the TBA concentrations in the polymerization media are in the range 82 vol % < TBA < 95 vol %. Independent experiments with a soluble (linear) sample of polyacrylamide show that the polymer swells sufficiently in the aforementioned media to lower the glass‐transition temperature of the polymer below the polymerization temperature (50 °C). The anomalous solubility has been attributed to the crosslinking of polymer chains that occurs during the solid‐phase polymerization of acrylamide in the swollen polymer particles. It is postulated that some of the radical centers shift from the chain end to the chain backbone during solid‐phase polymerization by chain transfer to neighboring polymer molecules, and when pairs of such radicals come into close vicinity, crosslinking occurs. However, dispersion (precipitation) polymerization in other media such as aqueous methanol and aqueous acetone yields polymers that are soluble. This result has been attributed to the fact that the polymer radical undergoes a chain‐transfer reaction with these solvents at a much faster rate than with TBA, which overcomes the effect of the polymer‐transfer reaction. Even the addition of as little as 5% methanol to a TBA–water mixture (TBA:water = 85:10) gives rise to a soluble polymer. The chain‐transfer constants for acetone, methanol, and TBA have been determined to be 9.0 × 10^?6, 6.9 × 10^?6, and 1.48 × 10^?6, respectively, at 50 °C. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3434–3442, 2001     

Understanding the role of particle size on photophysical properties of CdS:Eu nanocrystals

Here, we report the role of particle size on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of CdS:Eu³⁺ nanocrystals by steady-state and time-resolved PL spectroscopy. It is found that the average decay time 〈τ〉 of undoped CdS nanocrystals increases with increasing the size. The fast component (nanosecond) is assigned due to trapping and slow component (above 10 ns) is due to defect-related emission. The decrease of fast component from 6.6 to 1.32 ns and the slow component from 20 to 14.6 ns of CdS (host) is observed in presence of Eu ions, indicating that the energy transfer occurs from CdS nanoparticles to Eu³⁺ ions. The decay time of Eu³⁺ in CdS shows two decay components (microsecond scale) and we believe that the fast component is attributed to surface-bound Eu³⁺ ions and slow component is due to lattice-bound Eu³⁺ ions. Analysis suggests that PL efficiency of Eu³⁺ ions depends on size of nanoparticles.     

Regiospecificity of nucleotide–amino acid mating vs. water dynamics: a key to protein–nucleic acid assemblies: structure of unidecahydrated inosine-5′-monophosphate and L–glutamic acid (2C10H13N4O8P·C5H11NO4·11H2O) cocrystal at atomic resolution

The crystal structure of a unidecahydrated cocomplex between two Inosine-5-monophosphates (IMP) and one L-glutamic acid has been determined by X-ray crystallographic methods. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic space group P2₁ with cell dimensions a = 8.650(1), b = 21.900(1), c = 12.370(1) Å, and = 110.4°(9). This structure reveals extensive hydrogen bonding of glutamic acid to the nucleotide through direct and water-mediated interactions. The phosphate oxygens (O3B and O1B) seem to prefer nonspecific interaction with the functional sites of glutamic acid (OE2 ······O1B = 1.78 Å, NA······O3B = 2.73 Å, OH······O3B = 3.06 Å), whereas the bases prefer specific (O······N3B = 2.88 Å) binding. A solvent mediated N7A···W5···N7B hydrogen bond used for stabilization of the stacked purine bases has been observed as in other amino acid–nucleotide cocrystals. Glutamic acid occupies the same hydrophilic region in the nucleotide cocrystal as was found in glutamine–inosine monophosphate (Gln–IMP) and in serine–inosine monophosphate (Ser–IMP) complexes through substantial replacement of free and bound water molecules. This points to the dynamic hydrogen bonding nature of the water molecules and their stereochemical cooperation for the placement of amino acid through the polycoordination within the crystal.     

Formation of organorhodium complexes via C-H bond activation of 1,3-di(phenylazo)benzene

Reaction of a potential NCN-pincer ligand, viz. 1,3-di(phenylazo)benzene (L), with [Rh(PPh(3))(3)Cl] affords, via a C-H bond activation, an interesting dinuclear Rh(II) complex (1), and with RhCl(3)·3H(2)O affords a mononuclear Rh(III) complex (2) containing a catalytically useful Rh-OH(2) fragment.     

Synthesis and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy of capped CdS nanocrystals

Here, we report the synthesis of colloidal CdS nanoparticles by capping with starch, phenol and pyridine. We also study the photophysical properties of CdS nanoparticles by steady state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The experimental results show that the relaxation of the excited state of CdS nanoparticles is composed of two different components. Our analysis suggests that the fast and slow components decay times of these capped CdS nanocrystals are due to trapping of carriers in surface state and e–h radiative recombination processes, respectively.     

Roe–Strichartz theorem on two-step nilpotent Lie groupsa

Strichartz characterized eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on Euclidean spaces by boundedness conditions which generalized a result of Roe for the one-dimensional case. He also proved an analogous statement for the sub-Laplacian on the Heisenberg groups. In this paper, we extend this result to connected, simply connected two-step nilpotent Lie groups.