Characterization of polyoxometalate/polymer photo-composites: A toolbox for the photodegradation of organic pollutants

Different inorganic/organic photocomposites based on polyoxometalate (POM) nanoparticles have been developed for photocatalytic applications. Currently, polyoxometalate nanoparticles have been successfully in-situ embedded into an acrylate polymer network by photopolymerization upon mild visible light irradiation at 405 nm. The proposed POM/polymer photocomposites have been characterized using complementary techniques for a better understanding of their photocatalytic activity. Interestingly, the obtained photocomposites exhibit high rigidity, excellent thermal stability, a non-negligible porosity and new functionalities such as light reactivity and redox properties. Moreover, developed composites showed efficient catalytic activity for the color removal of aqueous solutions of erythrosine and rose Bengal under Light Emitting Diodes LED@375 nm irradiation reaching 80 and 90% as a final color removal, respectively.     

Multi-mechanism models: Present state and future trends

The paper gives a review of the main features introduced in the multi-mechanism models, of the present possibilities and of further developments.In the two last decades, various materials and mechanical effects were studied using multi-mechanism model types. Particular attention was given to the possible link between the mechanism definitions and the physical deformation sources. The main results of these works are first recalled. Propositions of future development for the multi-mechanism models are finally given.     

New N-Substituted (E)-4-Arylidene Isoquinoline-1,3-dione Derivatives: NMR Spectroscopic Investigation and Antibacterial Activity

Abstract

New N-substituted 4-arylidene-isoquinoline-1,3-dione derivatives were obtained as one geometrical isomer by aldol condensation of the appropriate aldehyde and the corresponding N-substituted homophthalimides. The structural elucidation of compounds 3a–h was established by infrared and NMR spectroscopy including ¹ Dimmock , J. R. ; Wong , M. L. C. Bioactivities and potential uses in drug design of acyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones . Can. J. Pharm. Sci. 1976 , 11 , 35 – 53 .[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]H, ¹³ Perjési , P. ; Szabó , D. ; Batta , G. ; Földesi , A. The stereochemistry of reaction of 2-benzylidenecyclohexanone with dithiocarbamic acid . Tetrahedron Lett. 1987 , 28 , 571 . [Google Scholar]C, CH CORR, and distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer measurements. Compounds 3d–h were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against some strains of bacteria using the disc diffusion method and microdilution tests.     

1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Nitrones with 5-Methylenehydantoins: Synthesis and Transformation of New Spirohydantoin Derivatives

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition of various acyclic nitrones with 5-methylenehydantoin derivatives afforded new chiral spiroadducts in good yields. All the spirohydantoins were obtained through a regio- and stereospecific pathway, and the spirocarbon atom was linked to the isoxazolidine oxygen atom. A representative example of the reduction of the spirohydantoin 8 with Zn/AcOH led to the substituted 1,3-aminoalcohol hydantoin 20.     

Kinetics and efficiency displayed by supported and suspended TiO2 catalysts applied to the disinfection of Escherichia coli

TiO₂-mediated photocatalysis is widely used in a variety of applications and products in the environmental and energy fields, including photoelectrochemical conversion, self-cleaning surfaces, and especially water purification systems. The dimensionality of the structure of a TiO₂ material can affect its properties, functions, and more specifically, its photocatalytic performance. In this work, the photocatalytic inactivation of Gram-negative Escherichia coli using three photocatalysts, differing in their structure and other characteristics, was studied in a batch reactor under UVA light. The aim was to establish the disinfection efficiency of solid TiO₂ compared with that of suspended catalysts, widely considered as reference cases for photocatalytic water disinfection. The bacterial inactivation profiles obtained showed that: (1) the photoinactivation was exclusively related to the quantity of photons retained per unit of treated volume, irrespective of the characteristics of the photocatalyst and the emitted light flux densities; (2) across the whole UV light range studied, each of the photocatalytic solids was able to achieve more than 2 log bacterial inactivation with less than 2 h UV irradiation; (3) none of the used catalysts achieved a total bacterial disinfection during the treatment time. For each of the catalysts the quantum yield has been assessed in terms of disinfection efficiency, the 2D material showed almost the same performance as those of suspended catalysts. This catalyst is promising for supported photocatalysis applications.     

Determination of Chromium (VI) in Airborne Particulate Matter by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is a well-established carcinogen associated with lung, nasal, and sinus cancer. Cr(VI) threshold limit values in workroom air have been recently lowered. Consequently, the currently available analytical methods are insufficiently sensitive or high cost. In this paper, a simple, cost-effective, sensitive, and reproducible method using solid-phase extraction with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for determination of hexavalent chromium in airborne samples is reported. The method validation included selectivity, linearity, accuracy, and precision. Interferences from other ions likely to be present in airborne samples, including trivalent chromium, were tested and selectivity was demonstrated. The detection and quantification limits were, respectively, as low as 0.1 and 0.4?µg?L^?1. The linearity ranged from 0.5 to 50.0?µg?L^?1, with a regression coefficients exceeding 0.998. The extraction recovery exceeded 98%. The developed method was successfully compared with a reference spectrophotometric method. The performances achieved were similar to ion chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography approaches. The novel method was tested on airborne samples collected from the workplace. The method’s performance suggests that it may be an alternative to high-cost techniques for monitoring occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium.     

NMR spectroscopic characterization of new 2,3‐dihydro‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole derivatives

The ¹H and ¹³C NMR resonances of twenty‐seven 2,2‐dimethyl‐5‐(2‐nitrophenyl‐5‐substituted)‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,3,4‐thiadiazoles, and twenty‐seven 3‐acyl‐5‐(2‐amino‐5‐substituted)‐2,2‐dimethyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,3,4‐thiadiazoles were assigned completely using the concerted application of one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional experiments (DEPT, HMQC and HMBC). NOESY experiments, X‐ray crystallography and conformational analysis confirm the preferred conformation of these compounds. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Antioxidant activity and chemical composition of three Tunisian Cistus: Cistus monspeliensisCistus villosus and Cistus libanotis☆

The chemical composition of three rockrose Cistus species, Cistus monspeliensis, Cistus libanotis and Cistus villosus, collected in Tunisia, was studied by HPTLC, focusing on the terpenes and phenols constituents. Diterpenes of Cistus are important as the main constituents of the leaf sticky aromatic resin, known as labdanum, which are highly appreciated in perfumery. Polyphenols in the methanolic extracts of each species were identified, quantified as total and as flavonoids and tannins, and tested for antioxidant activity. Diterpenes were evident in C. libanotis and C. monspeliensis, whereas they were practically absent in C. villosus; C. libanotis had higher phenolic amount, whereas antioxidant activities were important, but different according to the following tests: DPPH radical scavenging, conversion of the Fe^3+/ferricyanide complex and inhibition of β-carotene bleaching. The reported data confirm the validity of utilisation of Cistus sp. in marketed herbal products, as well as the relevant presence of diterpenes in species actually not used for labdanum production.     

Structure/reactivity/photoinitiation ability relationships in novel benzo pyrazolo (or imidazo) isoquinolinone derivatives upon visible light LEDs

Isoquinolinone derivatives bearing amino‐ or nitro‐ substituent (IQNs) have been synthesized as photoinitiators and combined with various additives (i.e., iodonium salt, N‐vinylcarbazole, amine or 2,4,6‐tris(trichloromethyl)?1,3,5‐triazine) to initiate ring‐opening cationic polymerizations (CP) or free radical polymerizations under exposure to visible LEDs (e.g., LEDs at 405 nm or 455 nm, or cold white LED) or a halogen lamp. Compared to the well‐known camphorquinone‐based systems, the novel IQNs‐based combinations employed here demonstrate higher efficiencies for the CP of epoxides. The photochemically generated reactive species (i.e., cations and radicals) from the IQNs‐based systems have been investigated by steady state photolysis, cyclic voltammetry, fluorescence, laser flash photolysis, and electron spin resonance spin trapping techniques. The structure/reactivity/photoinitiating ability relationships of IQNs‐based combinations are also discussed; the crucial role of the excited state lifetimes of the photoinitiators to ensure efficient quenching by additives is clearly underlined. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1806–1815     

Topological approach to solve frame structures using topological collections and transformations

The present work tackled the modeling of frame structures using a topological approach based on the concepts of topological collections and transformations. The topological collections are used to specify the interconnection law between the frame structures and the transformations that are used to describe their behavior. As a language allowing the application of this approach, we applied the MGS (Modeling of General System) language. To validate this approach, we studied the case of two- and three-dimensional frame structures. Then, the results obtained using the MGS language are presented and compared to those obtained by the structural calculation software by the finite-element method RDM6. For both studied cases, we find that the results obtained by MGS language based on the notions of topological collections and transformations and those obtained by the RDM6 software based on the finite element method are very close, which validates our approach. Using this topological approach, any structure can be characterized by local relations between its elements, thus making it possible to dissociate its topology and its physics. Indeed, in our topological approach, we separately define the topology of the studied frame structure and the local behavior law as well as the equilibrium equations of its various components. Therefore, this topological approach might be generalized to model complex systems which can be considered as a set of local elements linked by a neighborhood relationship.