Multiferroic TbMnO3 nanoparticles

We report on the synthesis of TbMnO₃ nanoparticles by chemical co-precipitation route and their structural, chemical bonding, magnetic and dielectric properties. It is shown that the interesting multiferroic properties of this system as reflected by the concurrent occurrence of magnetic and dielectric transitions are retained in the nanoparticles (size∼40 nm). However, the nanoparticle constitution and properties are seen to depend significantly on the calcination temperature. While the nanoparticles obtained by calcination at 800 °C correspond very well with the reported properties of single phase TbMnO₃ (all the key magnetic and dielectric features near 7, 27 and 41 K, albeit with reduced dielectric constant) the nanoparticles obtained by calcination at 900 °C develop a Tb deficient skin which softens the transitions, reducing the dielectric constant further.     

A new method for preparation of silica potassium cobalt hexacyanoferrate composite ion exchanger from silica sol

A new method for the preparation of porous silicapotassium cobalt hexacyanoferrate (SiO₂ ^.KCoFC) composite from silica sol is described. Silica sol was first gelled with K₄Fe(CN)₆ solution. Then the resulting hydrogel, SiO₂ ^.K₄Fe(CN)₆ was reacted with Co(NO₃)₂ solution in acetone to give the composite SiO₂ ^.KCoFC hydrogel. The empirical formula of KCoFC in the composite was found to be K₁.₆₉Co _0.93Fe(CN)₆. The removal efficiency of the composite for Cs was judged by measuring its distribution coefficient, K _d in 1M HCl solution containing 10 ppm Cs. The K _d of Cs was found to be 5.73^.10⁵ ml/g-composite.     

In vivo estimation of optical properties of rat liver using single-reflectance fiber probe during ischemia and reperfusion

Optical Review - To quantify the changes in optical properties of in vivo rat liver tissue, we applied diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) system using single-reflectance fiber probe during...     

Evaluation of a novel nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite powder and a solid hydroxyapatite/Chitosan-Gelatin bioceramic for scaffold preparation used as a bone substitute material

Artificially fabricated hydroxyapatite (HAP) shows excellent biocompatibility with various kinds of cells and tissues which makes it an ideal candidate for a bone substitute material. In this study, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles have been prepared by using the wet chemical precipitation method using calcium nitrate tetra-hydrate [Ca(NO₃)₂.4H₂O] and di-ammonium hydrogen phosphate [(NH₄)₂ HPO₄] as precursors. The composite scaffolds have been prepared by a freeze-drying method with hydroxyapatite, chitosan, and gelatin which form a 3D network of interconnected pores. Glutaraldehyde solution has been used in the scaffolds to crosslink the amino groups (|NH₂) of gelatin with the aldehyde groups (|CHO) of chitosan. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) performed on different scaffolds indicates that the incorporation of a certain amount of hydroxyapatite has no influence on the chitosan/gelatin network and at the same time, the organic matrix does not affect the crystallinity of hydroxyapatite. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images show the needle-like crystal structure of hydroxyapatite nanoparticle. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis shows an interconnected porous network in the scaffold where HAP nanoparticles are found to be dispersed in the biopolymer matrix. Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirms the presence of hydroxyl group (OH^-) , phosphate group (PO^3-₄) , carbonate group (CO^2-₃) , imine group (C=N), etc. TGA reveals the thermal stability of the scaffolds. The cytotoxicity of the scaffolds is examined qualitatively by VERO (animal cell) cell and quantitatively by MTTassay. The MTT-assay suggests keeping the weight percentage of glutaraldehyde solution lower than 0.2%. The result found from this study demonstrated that a proper bone replacing scaffold can be made up by controlling the amount of hydroxyapatite, gelatin, and chitosan which will be biocompatible, biodegradable, and biofriendly for any living organism.     

Synthesis,characterization, electrochemistry and evaluation of biological activities of some ferrocenyl Schiff bases

Synthesis of ferrocenyl Schiff bases ( 1–6 ) was carried out by the condensation reaction of 4‐ferrocenyl aniline with different substituted aromatic aldehydes and acetyl acetone. Compounds were characterized by physical measurements, elemental analysis, FT‐IR, ¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy. Single crystal X‐ray analysis of compound 2 showed the co‐planarity of both aromatic rings connected by a C–N double bond. Compounds demonstrated reversible one‐electron redox behavior and their peak currents were found to increase linearly with the square root of the sweep rate ν^1/2. The overall electrode processes were found to be diffusion controlled. Compounds 1 and 4 showed low cytotoxicity and appreciable antifungal, antioxidant and DNA protection activities. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new solid phase micro extraction for simultaneous head space extraction of ultra traces of polar and non-polar compounds

The results of the innovative study on a new stationary phase with high efficiency based on ZnO nano and micro rod coating on fused silica are reported in this paper. ZnO nanorods with a diameter in the range of 70–300 nm and the length of about 500 nm, have been grown on fused silica fibers using a hydrothermal process. The extraction properties of the fiber were investigated using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) mode coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry detection (GC–MS) for 1,4-dichloro-nitrobenzene, biphenyl and acenaphthene. The calibration curves were linear up to 10²–10⁷ ng L⁻¹ (R² > 0.995) with detection limits of 10⁻³ ng L⁻¹ for biphenyl and acenaphthene and 10 ng L⁻¹ for 1,4-dichloro-nitrobenzene. The RSD for single fiber and fiber-to-fiber were less than 7.0 and 11.5%, respectively. The high stability of the ZnO coating is proved at relatively high temperatures (up to 300 °C) with a high extraction capacity and long lifespan (more than 100 times). Promising recoveries (91–102%) were obtained in environmental water samples analysis by applying the proposed technique.     

A PCA Based Fault Detection Scheme for an Industrial High Pressure Polyethylene Reactor

A data‐based monitoring scheme is proposed to detect decomposition in low density polyethylene reactors by combining principal component analysis with a priori information on the heat balance equations around the reactor. During normal operating conditions, the heat balance equation should close at all times within reasonable limits. If excess heat is generated in the reactor, the heat balance closure error will exceed a user specified threshold limit to indicate the possible onset of decomposition. However, since precise information required to formulate the exact energy balance equations was not available, principal component analysis (PCA) was used as a model identification tool. Results from a number of decompositions case studies from an industrial low density polyethylene/ethylene vinyl acetate autoclave reactor indicate that the method was able to detect the onset of decomposition with reasonable lead time.

     

An Electron-Deficient Triosmium Cluster Containing the Thianthrene Ligand: Synthesis, Structure and Reactivity of [Os3(CO)9(μ3-η2-C12H7S2)(μ-H)]

Reaction of [Os₃(CO)₁₀(CH₃CN)₂] with thianthrene at 80 °C leads to the nonacarbonyl dihydride compound [Os₃(CO)₉(μ-3,4-η²-C₁₂H₆S₂)(μ-H)₂] (1) and the 46-electron monohydride compound [Os₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η²-C₁₂H₇S₂)(μ-H)] (2). Compound 2 reacts reversibly with CO to give the CO adduct [Os₃(CO)₁₀(μ-η²-C₁₂H₇S₂)(μ-H)] (3) whereas with PPh₃ it gives the addition product [Os₃(CO)₉)(PPh₃)(μ-η²-C₁₂H₇S₂)(μ-H)] (4) as well as the substitution product 1,2-[Os₃(CO)₁₀((PPh₃)₂] (5) Compound 2 represents a unique example of an electron-deficient triosmium cluster in which the thianthrene ring is bound to cluster by coordination of the sulfur lone pair and a three-center-two-electron bond with the C(2) carbon which bridges the same edge of the triangle as the hydride. Electrochemical and DFT studies which elucidate the electronic properties of 2 are reported. Dedicated to the memory of a great scientist, F. Albert Cotton.     

Genome Mining of Pseudomonas Species: Diversity and Evolution of Metabolic and Biosynthetic Potential

Microbial genome sequencing has uncovered a myriad of natural products (NPs) that have yet to be explored. Bacteria in the genus Pseudomonas serve as pathogens, plant growth promoters, and therapeutically, industrially, and environmentally important microorganisms. Though most species of Pseudomonas have a large number of NP biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in their genomes, it is difficult to link many of these BGCs with products under current laboratory conditions. In order to gain new insights into the diversity, distribution, and evolution of these BGCs in Pseudomonas for the discovery of unexplored NPs, we applied several bioinformatic programming approaches to characterize BGCs from Pseudomonas reference genome sequences available in public databases along with phylogenetic and genomic comparison. Our research revealed that most BGCs in the genomes of Pseudomonas species have a high diversity for NPs at the species and subspecies levels and built the correlation of species with BGC taxonomic ranges. These data will pave the way for the algorithmic detection of species- and subspecies-specific pathways for NP development.