MCM-41-SO3H: an efficient,reusable, heterogeneous catalyst for the one-pot,three-component synthesis of pyrano[3,2-b]pyrans

Research on Chemical Intermediates - MCM-41-SO3H, ordered mesoporous silica material MCM-41 with covalently anchored sulfonic acid groups, was used as a solid acid catalyst for the convenient,...     

Determination of phosphonoformic acid in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Trisodium phosphonoformate (foscarnet) is used in the treatment of cytomegalovirus infections in immunocompromised patients, such as bone marrow and renal transplant recipients, as well as patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic assay is described using an electrochemical detector. The method is accurate, precise and reproducible. Hydrochlorothiazide is used as the internal standard. This assay allows measurement of foscarnet in biological fluids at concentrations as low as 33 microM. This method is being used for the analysis of samples in clinical trials and is important in the evaluation of the pharmacokinetic disposition of the drug.     

Effect of synthesis method and buffer composition on the LCST of a smart copolymer of N‐isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid

Responsive polymers have been the focus of many studies during the past decade because of their ability to change according to environmental stimuli. In this paper, we report on the development of a method to synthesize a pH/temperature‐sensitive linear copolymer, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐ co‐acrylic acid)(poly(NIPAAm‐co‐AAc)), with a molecular weight of about 10⁶–10⁵ Da in water using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator. The effects of the following on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the copolymer and homopolymer of NIPAAm were investigated: the type of buffer salts and pH changes of test solutions, molecular weight and concentration of homopolymer/copolymer solutions, and AAc monomer molar feed ratio (mol%). The effects of different synthesis methods on the molecular weight and on the AAc content were also evaluated. The mechanism of action in environments with different pH values is discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Al Electrode Modified by Au Atoms as a Novel Electrode for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Thiosulfate

An aluminum electrode modified with gold atoms was introduced as a novel electrode. Gold atoms were deposited both chemically and electrochemically onto the aluminum electrode to make an aluminum/gold (Al/Au) modified electrode (ME). The experimental results showed that the Al/Au modified electrode prepared by chemical deposition, exhibits much more current than the electrochemical deposition method. The electrochemical behavior of the Al/Au modified electrode was studied by cyclic voltammometry. This modified electrode showed two pairs of peaks, a₁c₁ and a₂c₂, with surface‐confined characteristics in a 0.5 M phosphate buffer. The dependence of E_pa of the second peak (a₂c₂) on pH shows a Nernestian behavior with a slope of 55 mV per unit pH. The effect of different supporting electrolytes, solution's pH and different scan rates on electrochemical behavior of Al/Au modified electrode was studied. Au deposited electrochemically on a Pt electrode (Pt/Au) was also used as another modified electrode. A comparative study of electrochemical behavior of bare Al, Pt/Au and Al/Au modified electrodes showed that both Pt/Au and Al/Au electrodes have the ability of electrocatalytic oxidation of S₂O₃^2?, but the electrocatalytic oxidation on the latter was better than the former. The kinetics of the catalytic reaction was investigated by using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The average value of the rate constant for the catalytic reaction and the diffusion coefficient were evaluated by means of chronoamperometry technique.     

Calculation of the viscosity of binary liquids at various temperatures using Jouyban-Acree model

Applicability of the Jouyban-Acree model for calculating absolute viscosity of binary liquid mixtures with respect to temperature and mixture composition is proposed. The correlation ability of the model is evaluated by employing viscosity data of 143 various aqueous and non-aqueous liquid mixtures at various temperatures collected from the literature. The results show that the model is able to correlate the data with an overall percentage deviation (PD) of 1.9+/-2.5%. In order to test the prediction capability of the model, three experimental viscosities from the highest and lowest temperatures along with the viscosities of neat liquids at all temperatures have been employed to train the model, then the viscosity values at other mixture compositions and temperatures were predicted and the overall PD obtained is 2.6+/-4.0%.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Ferula latisecta and Mozaffariania insignis from Iran

The hydrodistilled oils from the aerial parts of Ferula latisecta and Mozaffariania insignis, which is endemic to Iran, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. (Z)-Ocimenone (32.4%), (E)-ocimenone (20.3%), and cis-pinocarvone (11.4%) were the main components among the 22 constituents characterized in the oil of F. latisecta, representing 87.7% of the total components detected. Twenty-five compounds were identified in the oil of M. insignis, representing 99.0% of the total oil, with octyl acetate (41.1%), β-pinene (30.3%), and α-pinene (23.9%) as the main constituents. The essential oils were examined for their potential antimicrobial activities. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 561–563, November–December, 2006.     

Silver nanoparticles immobilized onto poly(4‐vinylpyridine)‐functionalized magnetic nanoparticles: A robust magnetically recyclable catalyst for oxidant‐free alcohol dehydrogenation

A heterogeneous and recyclable catalyst with a high loading of silver nanoparticles was synthesized via the silver nanoparticles being supported onto the surface of magnetic nanoparticles coated with poly(4‐vinylpyridine). The synthesized catalyst was used in the dehydrogenation of alcohols to corresponding carbonyl compounds. A broad diversity of alcohols was converted into their corresponding carbonyl compounds in excellent yields. The catalyst was easily recovered by applying an external magnetic field and reused for seven reaction cycles without considerable loss of activity. The catalyst was fully characterized using various techniques.     

Facile synthesis of highly substituted 2-pyrone derivatives via a tandem Knoevenagel condensation/lactonization reaction of β-formyl-esters and 1,3-cyclohexadiones

A mild and efficient tandem process for the synthesis of new highly substituted 2-pyrones starting from commercially available 2-arylacetic acids has been developed. The synthesis is based on the Knoevenagel condensation of 1,3-cyclohexadiones with various β-formyl-esters, followed by lactonization in the presence of nano ZnO (20 mol %). Moderate to high yields and readily available cheap starting materials are the key features of the present method.     

Enhancement of azo dyes removal efficiency by using LDH/Tris/Pd catalyst: Kinetic studies

LDH/Tris/Pd (CaAl‐layered double hydroxide/tris (hydroxymethyl)aminomethane/palladium) was synthesized and appraised for its catalytic activity towards the degradation of two selected azo dyes. The decolorization of azo dyes, acid red 18 (AR 18) and reactive yellow 15 (RY 15), requires considerably small amounts of synthesized catalyst. Kinetic studies show that the catalytic decolorization of these azo dyes follows the first order kinetic model. The reported method is simple and applicable; in addition, the stable catalyst can efficiently decolorize model azo dyes with good recyclability. Therefore, LDH/Tris/Pd can be accepted as the possible component for the utilization in wastewater treatment.