Oxidation of 2-imidazolines to 2-imidazoles with sodium periodate catalyzed by polystyrene-bound manganese(III) porphyrin

In the present work, the dehydrogenation of 2-substituted imidazolines with sodium periodate in the presence of tetraphenylporphyrinatomanganese(III) chloride supported on polystyrene-bound imidazole, [Mn(TPP)Cl@PSI] is reported. A wide variety of 2-imidazolines were efficiently converted to their corresponding imidazoles by the [Mn(TPP)Cl@PSI]/NaIO₄ catalytic system in a 1:2 CH₃CN/H₂O mixture under agitation with magnetic stirring. Ultrasonic irradiation enhanced the catalytic activity of this catalyst in the oxidation of 2-imidazolines and this led to shorter reaction times and higher product yields. This catalyst could be reused several times without significant loss of its catalytic activity.     

Ultrasonic nebulization extraction-heating gas flow transfer-headspace single drop microextraction of essential oil from pericarp of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim

The ultrasonic nebulization extraction-heating gas flow transfer coupled with headspace single drop microextraction (UNE-HGFT-HS-SDME) was developed for the extraction of essential oil from Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied to the determination of the constituents in the essential oil. The contents of the constituents from essential oil obtained by the proposed method were found to be more similar to those obtained by hydro-distillation (HD) than those obtained by ultrasonic nebulization extraction coupled with headspace single drop microextraction (UNE-HS-SDME). The heating gas flow was firstly used in the analysis of the essential oil to transfer the analytes from the headspace to the solvent microdrop. The relative standard deviations for determining the five major constituents were in the range from 1.5 to 6.7%. The proposed method is a fast, sensitive, low cost and small sample consumption method for the determination of the volatile and semivolatile constituents in the plant materials.     

Ultrasonic irradiation and solvent effects on destabilization of colloidal suspensions of platinum nanoparticles

In this work, ultrasonic irradiation and destabilizer solvent were used for destabilizing colloidal platinum dispersions. The stabilized platinum nanoparticles were prepared in w/o microemulsion systems composed of sodium bis-(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) and four different solvents, namely, cyclohexane, n-hexane, n-heptane, and n-nonane. The recovery process of Pt nanoparticles from the colloidal systems was performed by exposing the colloidal samples to ultrasonic irradiation and applying various destabilizing solvents. Analysis of UV–visible spectra confirms that the quantity of Pt nanoparticles removed from the suspension depends on the length of time of the ultrasonic irradiation and the nature of the microemulsion oil phase. A critical time for the ultrasonic irradiation has been introduced for the phase separation of colloidal systems. To perform the solvent study, four destabilizer solvents, namely, dioxane, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, and tetrahydrofuran, were used for breaking the colloidal suspension of platinum nanoparticles. Based on the ‘good solvent’ and ‘poor solvent’ idea, it is verified that the effect of the destabilizer solvents on the aggregation process follows the following order: tetrahydrofuran > ethyl acetate > dioxane > diethyl ether.     

Ultrasonic assisted-Fenton-like degradation of nitrobenzene at neutral pH using nanosized oxides of Fe and Cu

Ultrasonic-assisted heterogeneous Fenton reaction was used for degradation of nitrobenzene (NB) at neutral pH conditions. Nano-sized oxides of α-Fe₂O₃ and CuO were prepared, characterized and tested in degradation of NB (10 mg L⁻¹) under sonication of 20 kHz at 25 °C. Complete degradation of NB was effected at pH 7 in presence of 10 mM H₂O₂ after 10 min of sonication in presence of α-Fe₂O₃ (1.0 g L⁻¹), (k = 0.58 min⁻¹) and after 25 min in case of CuO (k = 0.126 min⁻¹). α-Fe₂O₃ showed also effective degradation under the conditions of 0.1 g L⁻¹ oxide and 5.0 mM of H₂O₂, even though with a lower rate constant (0.346 min⁻¹). Sonication plays a major role in enhancing the production of hydroxyl radicals in presence of solid oxides. Hydroxyl radicals-degradation pathway is suggested and adopted to explain the differences noted in rate constants recorded on using different oxides.     

Sonochemical synthesis and characterization of lead iodide hydroxide micro/nanostructures

For the first time, micro/nano-sized lead iodide hydroxide; Pb(OH)I, has been successfully prepared via a simple ultrasonic method. In this method, lead nitrate and lithium iodide were applied as starting reagents to fabricate Pb(OH)I micro/nanostructures at different conditions. The effect of different surfactants like N,N-bis(salicylidene)-ethylenediamine (H₂salen), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), sonication time, and ultrasonic intensity on the morphology and particle size of the products has been investigated. The as-produced micro/nanostructures were characterized with the aid of XRD, SEM, TEM, UV–vis, EDS and FT-IR. According to the SEM images, different morphologies of Pb(OH)I including micro- and nano-sized rods were formed by changing the preparation conditions. Based on the XRD results, it was found that Pb(OH)I and PbI₂ have been produced with and without sonication at the same conditions, respectively. The use of the H₂salen and sonication treatment were confirmed to be the crucial factors determining the formation of one-dimensional Pb(OH)I micro/nanostructures.     

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on the morphology of casein particles

In this study, the effect of ultrasonic treatment duration on the morphology of self-assembled casein particles was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), low vacuum scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the case of AFM images, the particle analysis which was carried out by the SPIP program showed that the self-assembled casein particles after being ultrasonically treated for 2 min got smaller in size compared to the casein particles that have not been exposed to any ultrasonic treatment. Surprisingly, however, increasing the ultrasonic time exposure of the particles resulted in an opposite effect where larger particles or aggregates seemed to be present. We show that by comparing the results obtained by AFM, SEM and TEM, the information extracted from the AFM images and analyzed by SPIP program give more detailed insights into particle sizes and morphology at the molecular level compared to SEM and TEM images, respectively.     

Synthesis of pyran derivatives under ultrasound irradiation using Ni nanoparticles as reusable catalysts in aqueous medium

Ni nanoparticles (NPs)-catalysed synthesis of pyran derivatives was achieved by one-pot three-component reactions of aryl aldehydes/ketone, malononitrile and C–H activated compounds in aqueous medium under ultrasound irradiation. The present approach offer several advantages, such as shorter reaction time, higher yields, and environmental friendliness.     

Ultrasonic-assisted Dunlop method for natural rubber latex foam production: Effects of irradiation time on morphology and physico-mechanical properties of the foam

An ultrasonic-assisted technique was first introduced for the production of natural rubber latex foam (NRLF). The flexible elastomeric foam was formed by a liquid–solid state transformation in an aqueous media. The aim of the current research was to provide a novel strategy for fabricating NRLF using ultrasonication and the Dunlop method, as well as to simultaneously utilize irradiation events to achieve the desired foam properties. NRLFs were exposed to ultrasonication at 25 kHz at the beginning of the gelling process. The effects of irradiation times of 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 min on the morphology, foaming behaviors, physical properties and mechanical performance of NRLFs were investigated. The results revealed that using ultrasonic irradiation, unfoamed regions and a bimodal structure, which seem to be microstructural defects in conventional NRLF, could be completely eliminated. However, excessive irradiation times of 5 min and longer appeared to affect the physico-mechanical properties of the foams in terms of transient cavitation and the unfavorable physicochemical effects of ultrasonic vibrations. As a result, the optimal ultrasonic irradiation time was found to be 3 min. Using this irradiation duration, a foam with the suitable microcellular structure achieved the most desirable properties, such as its expansion ratio (7-fold increase), foam porosity (85.7%), compression recoverability (98.7%), and tensile strength (307.3 kPa). Moreover, the foam still maintained its characteristic soft nature (hardness less than 100 N) with an indentation hardness of 71.9 N. Therefore, ultrasonic treatment introduced to the conventional Dunlop method is a potentially feasible technique since it improves the morphology and the physico-mechanical properties of NRLFs.     

Ultrasonic treatment improves the performance of starch as depressant for hematite flotation

In this study, ultrasonic treatment was introduced to enhance the depressive performance of starch in the reverse flotation separation of fine hematite from quartz. It was found that after ultrasonic treatment, starch was not only able to impart a higher surface wettability of hematite, but also better reduced the degree of entrainment of fine hematite, both of which alleviated the loss of hematite to the froth. Flocculation tests together with starch property characterization were conducted to understand the underpinning mechanism. It is interesting that ultrasonic treatment of starch led to stronger and more selective flocculation of hematite, which accounted for the reduced entrainment loss of fine hematite and benefited the concentrate Fe grade. It was also found that ultrasonic treatment enhanced the dissolution and acidity of starch with a simultaneous increase in the content of amylose, which in turn could contribute to the improved depression and selective flocculation of hematite.     

Sonochemical synthesized BaMoO4/ZnO nanocomposites as electrode materials: A comparative study on GO and GQD employed in hydrogen storage

Due to poor rate proficiency and electrochemical capacity of transition metal oxides, production electrode materials as operative way to develop the electrochemical performance is a crucial strategy to make sure the great electroactive sites and fast electron/ion diffusion route. In order to solve this problem, carbon-based nanocomposites as conductive substrates are applied. The nanostructured BaMoO₄/ZnO was produced by sonochemical method in the presence of tween 20 as stabilizing agent. Effect of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and graphene oxide (GO) for developing hydrogen capacity of BaMoO₄/ZnO was studied by providing representative composites of BaMoO₄/ZnO-GQDs and BaMoO₄/ZnO-GO. For this purpose, GQDs was synthesized using green source of Spiraea crenata and the GO provided by commercial company. The structural analysis shows preparation of scales-like morphology of BaMoO₄/ZnO without any impurities through SEM, TEM, XRD, EDS and FT-IR characterization data. Also, the specific surface area for BaMoO₄/ZnO-GQDs (11 m²/g) and BaMoO₄/ZnO-GO (124 m²/g) nanocomposites increased by comparing to BaMoO₄/ZnO (9.1 m²/g). The resultant nanocomposites used as new active compounds for applying in hydrogen storage strategies using cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry tests. Comprehensively, the hydrogen capacitance after 15 cycles was demonstrated on the nanostructured BaMoO₄/ZnO about 129 mAhg⁻¹. It demanded the maximum capacitance for BaMoO₄/ZnO-GQDs and BaMoO₄/ZnO-GO nanocomposites were 284 and 213 mAhg⁻¹ respectively, which was higher than the initial nanostructured BaMoO₄/ZnO. It was exposed from the carbon based structured that; the endorsed electrochemical hydrogen storage (EHS) performance is ascribed to the reaction of the redox pair of Mo⁶⁺ /Mo⁵⁺ at the active sites throughout the EHS procedure. This study delivers a novel plan and potential sorption electrode materials to progress the intrinsic action of conductive compounds.