Hydrothermal synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots as a sensitive fluorescent probe for the rapid,selective determination of Hg2+

In the present work, a green synthetic method for producing nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCDs) by using ammonium citrate and urea is introduced. The obtained NCDs were characterised by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, UV–vis absorption and fluorescence spectra. The results showed that the prepared NCDs were spherical with a size of about 3.5 nm, emitting strong and stable blue fluorescence when excited at 352 nm. It was noting that the NCDs enable sensitive and selective determination of Hg²⁺ in tap water with a linear range of 0.01–5 mg L^?1 based on a possible charge transfer process. The detection limit was 9.4 µg L^?1.     

An efficient and mild protocol for the synthesis of unsymmetrical ureas in the absence of catalyst and additives

<正>A new practical method for the synthesis of unsymmetrical ureas was achieved by reaction of phenylurea with primary and secondary amines under neutral and mild condition in very good yields.The reaction took place in refluxing dioxane and does not require any catalyst or additives.     

Homogeneous methylation of wood pulp cellulose dissolved in LiOH/urea/H2O

Spruce sulphite cellulose (number average degree of polymerization 620) dissolved in an aqueous solution of 8% (w/w) LiOH*H₂O and 12% (w/w) urea was methylated with dimethyl sulphate (DMS). By varying the reaction temperature between 22 and 50 °C, the molar ratio between 9 and 15 mol DMS per mol anhydroglucose unit, and the reaction time from 4 to 24 h, methyl cellulose (MC) with degree of substitution (DS) values in the range of 1.07 and 1.59 was prepared. The chemical structure of MC was analysed by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The turbidity (given in nephelometric turbidity units, NTU) of the aqueous solution of MC reached an optimum of 10 NTU for a product obtained with 12 mol DMS/mol AGU at 50 °C. GPC measurements revealed polymer degradation to a certain extent. The intrinsic viscosity and the Huggins constant k of the MC samples increased with increasing DS value. The MC samples possess k values higher than 0.8, indicating association of the polymer chain. The zero-shear viscosity decreased with increase of both temperature and the amount of methylation agent due to the depolymerization. During the heating/cooling cycle (20-90 °C) of the aqueous solutions of MC, it was observed that samples synthesized at 22 °C with DS values lower than 1.3 did not undergo phase separation in aqueous solution. Phase separation hysteresis with a precipitation temperature up to 80 °C was obtained for aqueous solutions of MC with DS values between 1.07 and 1.66 synthesized at higher temperatures. The functionalization pattern determined by GLC of the corresponding partially methylated glucitol acetates is close to randomness and comparable with those of commercial MC samples.     

Encapsulation and release of biomolecules from Ca-P/PHBV nanocomposite microspheres and three-dimensional scaffolds fabricated by selective laser sintering

This study focused on the fabrication of calcium phosphate (Ca-P)/poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanocomposite scaffolds loaded with biomolecules using the selective laser sintering (SLS) technique and their evaluation. Ca-P/PHBV nanocomposite microspheres loaded with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the model protein were fabricated using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method. The encapsulation efficiency of BSA in PHBV polymer microspheres and Ca-P/PHBV nanocomposite microspheres were 18.06 ± 0.86% and 24.51 ± 0.60%, respectively. The BSA loaded Ca-P/PHBV nanocomposite microspheres were successfully produced into three-dimensional porous scaffolds with good dimensional accuracy using the SLS technique. The nanocomposite microspheres served as protective carriers and maintained the bioactivity of BSA during SLS. The effects of SLS parameters such as laser power and scan spacing on the encapsulation efficiency of BSA in the scaffolds and in vitro BSA release were studied. An initial burst release was observed, which was followed by a slow release of BSA. After 28-day release, The PHBV matrix was slightly degraded after 28-day in vitro release study. It was shown that nanocomposite scaffolds with controlled architecture obtained via SLS could be incorporated with biomolecules, enhancing them with more functions for bone tissue engineering application or making them suitable for localized delivery of therapeutics.     

Green Process to Prepare Silk Fibroin/Gelatin Biomaterial Scaffolds

A new all‐aqueous and green process is described to form three‐dimensional porous silk fibroin matrices with control of structural and morphological features. Silk‐based scaffolds are prepared using lyophilization. Gelatin is added to the aqueous silk fibroin solution to change the silk fibroin conformation and silk fibroin–water interactions through adjusting the hydrophilic interactions in silk fibroin–gelatin–water systems to restrain the formation of separate sheet like structures in the material, resulting in a more homogenous structure. Water annealing is used to generate insolubility in the silk fibroin–gelatin scaffold system, thereby avoiding the use of organic solvents such as methanol to lock in the β‐sheet structure. The adjusting of the concentration of gelatin, as well as the concentration of silk fibroin, leads to control of morphological and functional properties of the scaffolds. The scaffolds were homogeneous in terms of interconnected pores, with pore sizes ranging from 100 to 600 µm, depending on the concentration of silk fibroin used in the process. At the same time, the morphology of the scaffolds changed from lamellar sheets to porous structures based on the increase in gelatin content. Compared with salt‐leaching aqueous‐derived scaffolds and hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)‐derived scaffolds, these freeze‐dried scaffolds had a lower content of β‐sheet, resulting in more hydrophilic features. Most of gelatin was entrapped in the silk fibroin–gelatin scaffolds, without the burst release in PBS solution. During in vitro cell culture, these silk fibroin–gelatin scaffolds had improved cell‐compatibility than salt‐leaching silk fibroin scaffolds. This new process provides useful silk fibroin‐based scaffold systems for use in tissue engineering. Furthermore, the whole process is green, including all‐aqueous, room temperature and pressure, and without the use of toxic chemicals or solvents, offering new ways to load bioactive drugs or growth factors into the process.

     

Effect of Some Urea Derivatives on Measurement of pH with Glass Electrodes

Abstract

In solutions containing some urea or thiourea derivatives and alkali metal hydroxides at pH 6 to 10, the pH value measured with glass electrodes changes with time. The degree of change varies between 0.1 and 1.0 pH units and depends on the structure of the urea derivative, its initial concentration, and the glass electrode used, but not on the cation of the alkali metal hydroxide added. In contrast, pH measured in the same solution with a quinhydrone electrode or the UV spectra remain time-independent. It is proposed that urea derivatives are adsorbed in the gel at the surface of the glass electrode and there affect the ion-exchange process.     

Design and synthesis of novel indoline-(thio)urea hybrids

Abstract

A series of novel indoline-(thio)urea were designed and prepared using indoline(s) as a new platform and tested as organocatalysts in the Michael and Morita–Baylis–Hillman reactions. Most of the compounds were found to be very active catalysts although they did not promote the enantioselectivity. As agents for the conversion of thiocarbonyl compounds into carbonyl compounds, potentials of PIFA and DDQ were also displayed. Furthermore, DFT calculations rationalized the experimentally observed non-enantioselectivity of the catalysts.     

高分子造纸助剂的设计及作用机理研究Ⅱ.用XPS解析N-氯代聚丙烯酰胺与水和醇的反应

用X 射线光电子能谱仪 (XPS)对聚丙烯酰胺的部分N 氯代衍生物 (简称N 氯代聚丙烯酰胺 )与水、1 丙醇的反应产物进行了表征 .实验结果表明 ,在弱碱性水溶液中N 氯代聚丙烯酰胺 (N Cl PAM)的N 氯代酰胺基的 93%转化成—CONHCONH—结构 ,而在 1 丙醇水溶液中 ,91 8%的N 氯代酰胺基转化为—CONHCONH—和—NHCOO—结构 ,二者比例为 78 0∶13 8.可以推论N Cl PAM在中性造纸条件下 ,可通过自身结合形成网络结构或与纤维羟基反应形成共价键 ,从而达到增强纸的干、湿强度效果     

Mechanochemical Synthesis of Urea Adducts with Long Chain Alkyl Derivatives

The adducts of urea and solid alkyl derivatives can beobtained mechanochemically in good yields. Theproducts synthesized by grinding the solid reagentshave identical IR spectra and XRD powder patterns tothose obtained by crystallization from ethanolicsolutions.