Mono- and dinuclear Pd(II) complexes of different salicylaldimine ligands as catalysts of transfer hydrogenation of nitrobenzene with cyclohexene and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions

In this study, the synthesis, spectroscopic, catalytic, and electrochemical properties of salicylaldimine Schiff-base ligands (L_n) and their dinuclear Pd(II) complexes for L₁ and L₂ ligands with mononuclear Pd(II) complexes for L₃ and L₄ ligands were investigated. The ligands and their mono- or dinuclear Pd(II) complexes were characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, ¹H NMR and elemental analysis, as well as through magnetic susceptibility and spectroelectrochemical techniques. The catalytic studies showed that the introduction of tert butyl groups on the salicyl ring of the molecules increased the catalytic activity towards hydrogenation of nitrobenzene and cyclohexene in DMF at 25 and 45 °C. It was also observed that the steric hindered mono- and dinuclear Pd(II) complexes were thermally stable complexes and were not sensitive to air or the moisture. The complexes were easily prepared from cheap materials that could be used as versatile and efficient catalysts for different C-C coupling reactions (Suzuki-Miyaura reactions).     

Synthesis of cationic N‐[3‐(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide brushes on silicon wafer via surface‐initiated RAFT polymerization

Surface‐initiated reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (SI‐RAFT) polymerization of N‐[3‐(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide (DMAPMA) on the silicon wafer was conducted in attempt to create controllable cationic polymer films. The RAFT agent‐immobilized substrate was prepared by the silanization of hydroxyl groups on silicon wafer with 3‐aminopropylthriethoxysilane (APTS) and by the amide reaction of amine groups of APTS with ester groups of 4‐cyano‐4‐((thiobenzoyl) sulfanyl) pentanoic succinimide ester (CPSE); followed by the RAFT polymerization of DMAPMA using a “free” RAFT agent, that is, 4‐cyanopentanoic acid dithiobenzoate (CPAD) and an initiator, that is, 4,4′‐azobis‐4‐cyanopentanoic acid (CPA). The formation of homogeneous tethered poly(N‐[3‐(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide) [poly(DMAPMA)] brushes, whose thickness can be tuned by reaction time varying, is evidenced by using the combination of grazing angle attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and water contact‐angle measurements. The calculation of grafting parameters from the number‐average molecular weight, M _n (g/mol) and ellipsometric thickness, h (nm) values indicated the synthesis of densely grafted poly(DMAPMA) films and allowed us to predict a polymerization time for forming a “brush‐like” conformation for the chains. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Influence of Operational Parameters and Low Nickel Concentrations on Partial Nitrification in a Submerged Biofilter

The effect of Ni(2+) concentrations on ammonium oxidation was studied in a batch and partial bionitrification reactor (PBNR). The nitrification rates up to the concentration of 0.1 mg Ni(2+)/l were close to those without Ni(2+). After testing the operational conditions in the PNBR, the highest NO(2)-N/NO( x )-N ratio was achieved at the DO concentrations of 2.0 mg/l and pH 9.00. The PNBR was operated at steady state (NH(4)-N loading rate and NO(2)-N/NO( x )-N ratio were 405?g m(-3) day(-1) and 0.74, respectively) before exposure to Ni(2+). The removal efficiency of NH(4)-N and NO(2)-N/NO( x )-N ratio in the effluent waters was increased by adding low concentrations of heavy metals to the PBNR. The average number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria at the biofilm surface and in the water in the void volume of PNBR were 1.0?×?10(4) CFU/g and 1.4?×?10(5) CFU/ml, respectively.     

Development of surface chemistry for surface plasmon resonance based sensors for the detection of proteins and DNA molecules

The immobilisation of biological recognition elements onto a sensor chip surface is a crucial step for the construction of biosensors. While some of the optical biosensors utilise silicon dioxide as the sensor surface, most of the biosensor surfaces are coated with metals for transduction of the signal. Biological recognition elements such as proteins can be adsorbed spontaneously on metal or silicon dioxide substrates but this may denature the molecule and can result in either activity reduction or loss. Self assembled monolayers (SAMs) provide an effective method to protect the biological recognition elements from the sensor surface, thereby providing ligand immobilisation that enables the repeated binding and regeneration cycles to be performed without losing the immobilised ligand, as well as additionally helping to minimise non-specific adsorption. Therefore, in this study different surface chemistries were constructed on SPR sensor chips to investigate protein and DNA immobilisation on Au surfaces. A cysteamine surface and 1%, 10% and 100% mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUDA) coatings with or without dendrimer modification were utilised to construct the various sensor surfaces used in this investigation. A higher response was obtained for NeutrAvidin immobilisation on dendrimer modified surfaces compared to MUDA and cysteamine layers, however, protein or DNA capture responses on the immobilised NeutrAvidin did not show a similar higher response when dendrimer modified surfaces were used.     

Fatty acid content of three <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cistus</Emphasis> species growing in Turkey

The seed oils of Cistus laurifolius, C. salviifolius, and C. creticus were investigated for their fatty acids by employing capillary GC and capillary GC-MS. The results of this study indicated that palmitic, linoleic, linolenic, oleic, stearic, and behenic acids were found in all of these three seed oils of Turkish origin. In addition, an important polyunsaturated fatty acid, linoleic acid, was the major fatty acid in all of these oil samples.Published in Khimiya Prirodnikh Soedinenii in No. 6, pp. 433–434, November–December.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

A panchromatic boradiazaindacene (BODIPY) sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells

A novel distyryl-substituted boradiazaindacene (BODIPY) dye displays interesting properties as a sensitizer in DSSC systems, opening the way to further exploration of structure-efficiency correlation within this class of dyes.     

Chemical constituents of two sages with free radical scavenging activity

From the aerial parts of Salvia trichoclada Bentham and S. verticillata L. one new and two known phenolic acids, 3-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxymethyl propionic acid (1), 3-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl) lactic acid (2), and rosmarinic acid (3); two flavonoids, apigenin 4'-methyl ether 7-O-glucuronide (4), and luteolin 7-O-beta glucuronide (5); two lupan type triterpene aglycones, lupeol (6), and 30-hydroxylup-20 (29)-en-3-on (7); an oleanane-type triterpene acid, oleanolic acid (8); and an ursan-type triterpene acid, ursolic acid (9) were isolated. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Different extracts of the plants were examined for their free radical scavenging activities by DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay. Some of the polar extracts showed high free radical scavenging activity.     

Probing chemical induced cellular stress by non-Faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using an Escherichia coli capacitive biochip

A new capacitive biochip was developed using carboxy-CNT activated gold interdigitated (GID) capacitors immobilized with E. coli cells for the detection of cellular stress caused by chemicals. Here, acetic acid, H(2)O(2) and NaCl were employed as model chemicals to test the biochip and monitored the responses under AC electrical field by non-Faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (nFEIS). The electrical properties of E. coli cells under different stresses were studied based on the change in surface capacitance as a function of applied frequency (300-600 MHz) in a label-free and noninvasive manner. The capacitive response of the E. coli biochip under normal conditions exhibited characteristic dispersion peaks at 463 and 582 MHz frequencies. Deformation of these signature peaks determined the toxicity of chemicals to E. coli on the capacitive biochip. The E. coli cells were sensitive to, and severely affected by 166-498 mM (1-3%) acetic acid with declined capacitance responses. The E. coli biochip exposed to H(2)O(2) exhibited adaptive responses at lower concentrations (<2%), while at a higher level (882 mM, 3%), the capacitance response declined due to oxidative toxicity in cells. However, E. coli cells were not severely affected by high NaCl levels (513-684 mM, 3-4%) as the cells tend to resist the salt stress. Our results demonstrated that the biochip response at a particular frequency enabled the determination of the severity of the stress imposed by chemicals and it can be potentially applied for monitoring unknown chemicals as an indicator of cytotoxicity.