Thermal and Spectral Studies of Y(III) and Lanthanide(III) Complexes with Mesaconic Acid

Y(III) and lanthanide(III) mesaconates were prepared as crystalline solids with general formula Ln₂(C₅H₄O₄)₃⋅nH₂O, where n=7 for La−Pr, n=4 for Y,Nd−Ho, n=8 for Er−Lu. IR spectra of the prepared mesaconates suggest that carboxylate groups are bidentate bridging anf chelating. During heating the hydrated complexes are dehydrated in one (Y, Nd−Lu) or two steps (La−Pr) and then decompose directly to oxides (Y, Ce, Pr, Sm, Gd−Lu) or with intermediate formation Ln₂O₂CO₃ (La, Nd, Eu). This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Potential of Carvacrol and Thymol in Reducing Biofilm Formation on Technical Surfaces

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and stainless steel (SS) are commonly used in medicine and food production technologies. During contact with microorganisms on the surface of these materials, a microbial biofilm is formed. The biofilm structure is difficult to remove and promotes the development of pathogenic bacteria. For this reason, the inhibition of biofilm formation in medical and food production environments is very important. For this purpose, five naturally occurring compounds were used for antimicrobial screening tests. The two with the best antimicrobial properties were chosen to inhibit the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. After 3 days of exposure, thymol reduced the amount of biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa within the range of 70–77% and 52–75% for Staphylococcus aureus. Carvacrol inhibited the formation of biofilms by up to 74–88% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and up to 86–100% for Staphylococcus aureus. Those phenols decreased the enzyme activity of the biofilm by up to 40–100%. After 10 days of exposure to thymol, biofilm formation was reduced by 80–100% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and by about 79–100% for Staphylococcus aureus. Carvacrol reduced the amount of biofilm by up to 91–100% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and up to 95–100% for Staphylococcus aureus.