In this work, ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed on the 3,3-sigmatropic rearrangements of hexa-1,5-diene (Cope) and N-vinylprop-2-en-1-amine (3-aza-Cope) in the gas phase. The barrier heights and heats of reactions calculated at the B3LYP/6-311G** level of theory were in good agreement with experimental data. Transition states optimized with B3LYP/6-311G** theory were used for calculating the nucleus independent chemical shift (NICS) and, a natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was also performed at the same level of theory. Our results indicate that the aromaticities of the transition states are controlled by the out-of-plane component and that the chair-like transition state of the Cope rearrangement exhibits the strongest aromatic character. Analysis of donor-acceptor (bonding and anti-bonding) interactions of σ_3–4 → π*_1–2 suggests that the TS structure in the hexa-1,5-diene reaction (the Cope rearrangement) has more aromatic character than the N-vinylprop-2-en-1-amine reaction (the 3-aza-Cope rearrangement). The NBO results show that in the hexa-1,5-diene and N-vinylprop-2-en-1-amine rearrangements, activation energies are controlled by σ_3–4 → π*_1–2 and σ_3–4 → π*_1–2 resonance energies.

A PVC-based membrane containing metoprolol molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coated directly on graphite electrode for the determination of metoprolol in real samples is reported. This potentiometric sensor was designed by dispersing the MIP particles in dioctylphthalate plasticizer as solvent mediator and then embedded in polyvinyl chloride matrix. The electrode exhibited a near-Nernstian slope of 55.4 ± 1 mV decade^-1 for metoprolol over a wide concentration range between 2.0 × 10^-7-8.0 × 10^-3 M and a detection limit of 1.3 × 10^-7 M. With a response time of about 14 s it could be used for at least 6 months without any divergence in potential. The proposed electrode can be used in the pH range of 3.5-10.5 and can reveal good selectivities for metoprolol over a wide variety of ions. Finally, the designed sensor was successfully applied as an indicator electrode to determine the concentration of metoprolol in tablets, human urine and plasma. The results were compared favorably with those obtained by HPLC method and showed satisfactory agreements with them.

The title compound (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(3-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-methyl-4,5-dihydroisoxazol-5-yl)phenol is synthesized and studied by the single crystal X-ray diffraction method. The structure of the product was confirmed by IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structure of 1,4-dioxane hemisolvate of the product is solved in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with a = 17.713(6) Å, b = 9.529(3) Å, c = 13.972(4) Å, β = 94.09(4)°, V = 2352.3(13) ų, Z = 4, T = 120(2) K.

A new dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method has been established for extraction of two antioxidants, Irganox 1010 and Irgafos 168, from polyolefins. The extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography. Carbon tetrachloride at microliter levels and acetonitrile at milliliter levels were used as extraction and dispersive solvents, respectively. Central-composite design and response-surface methodology were used as experimental strategies for modeling and optimization. The effects of experimental conditions on extraction were investigated by modeling extraction recovery as the response. The experimental design was performed at five levels of the operating conditions. Nearly the same results for optimization were obtained by using the one-variable-at-a-time and central-composite-design methods: sample size 5–10 mg, dispersive solvent acetonitrile (2 mL), extraction solvent carbon tetrachloride (200 μL); extraction temperature 100 °C, and extraction time 3 h. Under the optimum conditions the calibration plots were linear over the range 50–2,000 μg L⁻¹ in solution. The relative standard deviation of the method for six replicate experiments was 7.0 and 4.9% for Irganox 1010 and Irgafos 168, respectively.

We have developed a technique for the solid-phase extraction of gold using various kinds of pyridine-functionalized nanoporous silica prior to its determination in various samples using FAAS. The effects of solution pH, sample and eluent flow rate, sample volume and of potentially interfering ions are compared. The limits of detections vary from 28 to 53 pg mL⁻¹. The accuracy and precision are between 99.8% and 98.3 % and 0.7 to 1.6 % (RSD), respectively. The method was successfully applied to several standard reference materials.

Protonation of the highly reactive 1:1 intermediates, produced in the reaction between triphenylphosphine and alkyl acetylenecarboxylates (or dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates) by theophylline leads to vinyltriphenylphosphonium salts, which undergo Michael addition reaction with conjugate base to produce phosphorus ylides. Silica gel was found to catalyze conversion of the phosphorus ylides to electron-poor N-vinyl imidazoles in solvent-free conditions under thermal (90 °C, 1 h) conditions. The structures of these compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray structure determination. The structural analysis of the products indicated that the reaction is completely regio- and stereoselective.

Graphical Abstract

The syntheses of titled compounds were achieved in one pot using alkyl acetylenecarboxylates (or dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates), triphenylphosphine and theophylline in the presence of a catalytic amount of silica gel. The structures of these compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray structure determination. X-ray crystal studies were undertaken for three compounds and the results are presented. The structural analysis of the products indicated that the reaction is completely regio- and stereoselective.

A convenient method for the synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[b]pyrans by a one-pot three-component cyclocondensation of dimedone, aryl aldehydes, and malononitrile in water using silica gel-supported polyphosphoric acid (PPA-SiO₂) as an efficient and reusable catalyst is described. The present methodology offers several advantages, such as a simple procedure with ease of handling, short reaction time, high yields, and the absence of any volatile and hazardous organic solvents.

The experimental FTIR spectra and DSC curves of the ternary 40TeO₂–(60−x)V₂O₅–xNiO glasses with 0 ≤ x ≤ 30 (in mol%) have been investigated. The glass transition properties that have been measured and reported in this paper, include the glass transition temperature (T_g), glass transition width (ΔT_g), heat capacity change at glass transition (ΔC_P) and Fragility (F). Thermal stability, fragility, and glass-forming tendency of these glasses have been estimated. Also, Poisson’s ratio (μ) and IR spectra of the presented systems have been investigated, to determine relationship between chemical composition and the thermal stability or to interpret the structure of glass. In addition, Makishima and Makenzie’s theory was applied for determination of Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus, indicating a strong relation between elastic properties and structure of glass. In general, results of this work show that glasses with x = 0 and 30 have the highest shear and young’s modulus which make them as suitable candidate for the manufacture of strong glass fibers in technological applications; but it should be mentioned that glass with x = 30 has higher handling temperature and super resistance against thermal shock.

Well-segregated bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) nanorods with a high order of crystallinity have been successfully prepared from bismuth(III) monosalicylate [BiO(C₇H₅O₃)] by a simple hydrothermal reaction in H₂O at 180 °C. Bismuth(III) monosalicylate and thioglycolic acid act as the starting materials. The products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy photoluminescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectra. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern shows the product belongs to the orthorhombic Bi₂S₃ phase. Their UV–Vis spectrum shows the absorbance at 328 nm, with its direct energy band gap of 2.6 eV. Bismuth salicylate, which is known to be a complex, may play a critical role as a precursor and a template for the growth of linear bismuth sulfide nanorods. Finally the influences of the reaction conditions are discussed and a possible mechanism for the formation of Bi₂S₃ nanorods is proposed.

The present research discusses the structure stabilizing and protecting effects of Ni²⁺ against suicide-peroxide inactivation of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Suicide inactivation of HRP by hydrogen peroxide (3 mM) was monitored by measuring change in the absorbance of the colored product (tetraguaiacol) of the catalytic reaction cycle at 470 nm. Progress curves of the catalytic reaction cycle were obtained at 27 °C, phosphate buffer (5 mM), pH 7.0. The corresponding kinetic parameters (e.g., initial enzyme activity (α_o) and the apparent rate constant (k_i) of suicide inactivation of HRP by peroxide) were evaluated using a kinetic equation derived in this study. Comparative activatory and inhibitory effects of Ni²⁺ on the kinetics of suicide-peroxide inactivation of HRP are discussed.

Glass transition temperature is one of the main criteria for the evaluation of the potential options for electrolyte application. In this communication, the attention was focused on the prediction of glass transition temperature of 1,3-dialkyl imidazolium ionic liquids which could be considered as potential future electrolytes. For this purpose, the quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) method is employed to develop two models for determination of glass transition temperature. In this study, both anion and cation descriptors are taken into account for model development. In the first part of this study, genetic function approximation is applied for model’s parameter selection. In order to study the nonlinear relations between the selected molecular descriptors and the glass transition temperature, least square support vector machines (LSSVM) was successfully applied in second part of this study. Furthermore, the genetic algorithm (GA) optimization methods are respectively implemented to optimize the LSSVM model parameters. Consequently, we obtain two predictive models with satisfactory results qualified by the following statistical parameters: absolute average deviations of the predicted properties from existing experimental values by the GFA linear equation: 2.68%, squared correlation coefficient: 0.91 and root mean square : 5.717 K and 1.38% and 0.97 and 4.05 K evaluated by the LSSVM–QSPR model, respectively.

The structural properties, NMR and NQR parameters in the pristine and silicon carbide (SiC) doped boron phosphide nanotubes (BPNTs) were calculated using DFT methods (BLYP, B3LYP/6-31G*) in order to evaluate the influence of SiC-doped on the (4,4) armchair BPNTs. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters including isotropic (CS^I) and anisotropic (CS^A) chemical shielding parameters for the sites of various ¹³C, ²⁹Si, ¹¹B, and ³¹P atoms and quadrupole coupling constant (C_Q), and asymmetry parameter (η_Q) at the sites of various ¹¹B nuclei were calculated in pristine and SiC- doped (4,4) armchair boron phosphide nanotubes models. The calculations indicated that doping of ¹¹B and ³¹P atoms by C and Si atoms had a more significant influence on the calculated NMR and NQR parameters than did doping of the B and P atoms by Si and C atoms. In comparison with the pristine model, the SiC- doping in Si_PC_B model of the (4,4) armchair BPNTs reduces the energy gaps of the nanotubes and increases their electrical conductance. The NMR results showed that the B and P atoms which are directly bonded to the C atoms in the SiC-doped BPNTs have significant changes in the NMR parameters with respect to the B and P atoms which are directly bonded to the Si atoms in the SiC-doped BPNTs. The NQR results showed that in BPNTs, the B atoms at the edges of nanotubes play dominant roles in determining the electronic behaviors of BPNTs. Also, the NMR and NQR results detect that the Fig.  (Si_PC_B) model is a more reactive material than the pristine and the Fig.  (Si_BC_p) models of the (4,4) armchair BPNTs.

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) serotypes A, B and E are most frequently associated with human botulism. Recombinant vaccines against BoNTs are usually based on one or more domain(s) of the toxin molecule. In this study, we investigate a new-designed multiple antigenic polypeptide for serotypes A and E (MAP/AE), containing two linear epitopes from each serotype. A synthetic gene was used to express the recombinant MAP/AE, in E. coli. Anti-MAP/AE antibodies were produced by injecting the purified MAP/AE to Balb/C mice. The interactivity of these antibodies and BoNT/A and E has been shown by ELISA. High titers of anti-MAP/AE antibodies were detected in mice sera. The anti-MAP/AE antibody titer is clearly detectable even at 25,600 dilution level. The anti-MAP/AE antibodies bound to both BoNT/A and BoNT/E holotoxin molecules. Neutralization ability of the antibodies for both toxin serotypes was determined, by an inhibitory ELISA assay. Results are suggestive of the feasibility of this epitope targeting strategy to develop novel multivalent recombinant vaccines against BoNTs.

Oxidative dehydrogenation of 1,3,5-trisubstituted pyrazolines and 2-substituted imidazolines to their corresponding pyrazoles and imidazoles is carried out effectively by treatment with benzyltriphenylphosphonium peroxymonosulfate as an oxidant silica-adsorbed under aprotic and almost neutral conditions.

The application of novel Pb(II) ion-imprinted polymer coated on magnetic mesoporous silica was investigated in preconcentration and determination of low level of Pb(II) ions. The job proposed a new method for preconcentration and determination of Pb(II) ions. This novel sorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric/differential thermal analysis, elemental analysis, and low-angle X-ray powder diffraction. Effects of various factors such as the effects of the pH of sample solution, eluent (include type, concentration and volume), adsorption and desorption time which are effective in method efficiency, were appraised through this study. In order to investigate the selectivity of this sorbent toward Pb(II) ion, the effects of variety of foreign ions interfering on preconcentration and recovery of Pb(II) ions were also investigated. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 0.7 μg L⁻¹ and the recovery and relative standard deviation of the method were 96.6–102.4 % and 1.3–3.3 %, respectively. Validation of the outlined method was performed by analyzing several standard reference materials with certified Pb(II) concentrations. Finally, this sorbent was applied for separation and determination of Pb(II) ion in grass and cow’s milk, which showed their lead concentration to be below the detection limit of flame atomic adsorption spectroscopy.

A simple, inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and efficient route for the synthesis of highly substituted imidazoles by the condensation of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds, aldehydes, and ammonium acetate using 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol as a solvent is described. The solvent can be readily separated from reaction products and recovered in excellent purity for direct reuse.

Graphical abstract

An analytical equation of state (EoS) has been previously employed by Hosseini and Sharafi (Ionics 17:511, 2011) for modelling of PVT data of some ionic liquids (ILs). In this work, we have extended the mentioned model to five classes of ILs by the use of alternative scaling constants for corresponding states correlation procedure. For this purpose, ILs involving imidazolium, phosphonium, pyridinium, pyrrolidinium and ammonium cations have been taken into account. From these, 1,294 experimental data points examined to show the reliability of the modified EoS. The comparison of predicted densities with the measured values over a broad range of temperature 293–452 K and pressures up to 150 MPa led to the encouraging results. The average absolute deviation of calculated densities from literature values was found to be 0.73%. Moreover, to establish the predictive power of proposed model, the reproduced densities have been compared with those obtained by another literature work. Moreover, we have demonstrated the density behaviour of studied ILs in terms of alkyl chain length of imidazolium cation via proposed model.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were grown by chemical vapor deposition. The effect of the composition of carbon paste electrode on its voltammograms was evaluated in basic solution with 5.0×10⁻⁵ M tryptophan (Trp). It was found that addition of MWCNTs to the carbon paste would generate the peak current of Trp because of its catalytic effect on the redox process. The pH strongly affects the peak potential of Trp. The best analytical response was obtained at pH 13.0. The anodic peak currents were proportional to Trp concentrations in the range of 1.0×10⁻⁹−1.0×10⁻⁴ M under the optimized experimental conditions. The detection limit was 2.2×10⁻¹⁰ M. The effect of potential scan rate on the peak potential and peak current of tryptophan was investigated. The correlation of the peak currents against v^1/2 (v is the scan rate) is linear, which is very similar to a diffusion-controlled process. The proposed biosensor was applied to the determination of Trp in pharmaceuticals formulations successfully.

Chemical functionalization of a single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) with different carboxylic derivatives including –COOX (X = H, CH₃, CH₂NH₂, CH₃Ph, CH₂NO₂, and CH₂CN) has been theoretically investigated in terms of geometric, energetic, and electronic properties. Reaction energies have been calculated to be in the range of −0.23 to −7.07 eV. The results reveal that the reaction energy is increased by increasing the electron withdrawing character of the functional groups so that the relative magnitude order is −CH₂NO₂ >−CH₂CN >−H >−CH₂Ph >−CH₃ >−CH₂NH₂. The chemical functionalization leads to an increase in HOMO/LUMO energy gap of CNT by about 0.32 to 0.35 eV (except for −H). LUMO, HOMO, and Fermi level of the CNT are shifted to lower energies especially in the case of −CH₂NO₂ and ₋CH₂CN functional groups. Therefore, it leads to an increment in work function of the tube, impeding the field electron emission.

The interactions of colchicine (COL) and aspirin (ASA) with human hemoglobin (HB) was studied by fluorescence, UV/vis absorption, resonance light scattering, synchronous fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques under physiological conditions. The inherent binding information, including the quenching mechanism, binding constants, number of binding sites, effective quenching constant, fraction of the initial fluorescence and thermodynamic parameters were determined by the fluorescence quenching technique at different temperatures. The results proved that the mechanism of fluorescence quenching of HB by COL and ASA is due to formation of HB–drug complexes in the binary and ternary systems. The distance between the acceptor drugs and HB was estimated by Förster’s equation on the basis of fluorescence energy transfer. In addition, according to the synchronous fluorescence spectra of HB, the results showed that the fluorescence quenching of HB originated solely from the tryptophan residues and indicated a conformational change for HB caused by addition of the drugs. Far-UV CD spectra of HB were recorded before and after the addition of ASA and COL both as binary and ternary systems. An increase in intensity of the positive CD peak of HB was observed in the presence of these drugs. The results were interpreted as excited state interactions between the aromatic residues of the HB binding sites and the drugs bound to them.

Mercury exists in two forms in environment, inorganic salts and organic compounds. Determination of mercury is very important, due to its health effects. In the present research, diphenylation of mercury using phenylboronic acid as a derivatization reagent was used for the determination of Hg(II) in real water samples. A simple, rapid and cheap method named dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction was used for the extraction of analyte under the following conditions: extraction solvent 16 μL of carbon tetrachloride, disperser solvent 1 mL of ethanol and sample volume 5 mL. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factor for diphenylmercury was 931 and the limit of detection calculated on the basis of five replicates was 0.004 μg mL⁻¹. The repeatability of the method expresses as relative standard deviation was 5.1 (n = 6). The linear range was between 0.01 and 10 μg mL⁻¹. The performance of the proposed technique was evaluated for the determination of mercury in different environmental water samples.

We have analyzed the effect of external electric field on the zigzag (6,0) single-wall BC₂N nanotube using density functional theory calculations. Analysis of the structural parameters indicates that the nanotube is resistant against the external electric field strengths. Analysis of the electronic structure of the nanotube indicates that the applied parallel electric field strengths have a much stronger interaction with the nanotube with respect to the transverse electric field strengths and the nanotube is easier to modulate by the applied parallel electric field. Our results show that the properties of the nanotube can be controlled by the proper external electric field for use in nano-electronic circuits.

3-Deoxy-D-erythro-hexos-2-ulose bis (thiosemicarbazone) (I) readily obtained from d-glucose reacts with copper acetate hydrate to give the corresponding chelate (II). The complex (II) was acetylated to give the corresponding tri-O-acetyl derivative (III). The (I), (II), and (III) were used as optically active curing agents for diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)-based epoxy resin, and the cure reaction was studied by the non-isothermal DSC method. The maximum exothermic temperature (T_p) of curing of DGEBA-(III) system shifted about 313 K toward lower temperature in comparison with the T_p of DGEBA/(II) system. The average E_a values obtained by using Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS), Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO), and isoconversional methods for non-isothermal curing of DGEBA-(I), DGEBA-(II), and DGEBA-(III) systems are 95.8, 135.5, and 85.8 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The higher reactivity of (III) toward epoxide groups can be due to better solubility of the (III) in DGEBA as a result of acetylation of hydroxyl groups.

The cyclocondensation of 2,6-diformylpyridine with N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-aminoethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine (pentene) in the presence of Mn^II forms the [1 + 1] pendant arm Schiff-base macrocyclic complex, [MnL³]²⁺. The ligand is a 15-membered pentaaza macrocycle having two 2-aminoethyl pendant arms {L³= 6,9-bis(aminoethyl)-3,6,9,12,18-pentaazabicyclo[12.3.1]octadeca-1(18),2,12,14,16-pentene}. The complex, investigated by analytical, spectroscopic and magnetic techniques, supports the formation of a highly symmetrical pentagonal bipyramid complex with the Mn^II ion located within a pentaaza macrocycle and two pendant amines coordinating on opposite sides of a plane defined by the macrocycle and the metal ion. The structure of the complex was also verified by ab initio HF-MO calculations using a standard 3-21G^⋆ basis set.

Structures corresponding to energy minima and the binding of cadmium cation to threo- nine (Thr) in model systems [Cd(Thr)_n]²⁺ (n = 1–3) were studied theoretically. Quantum chemical computations were performed within the framework of the density functional theory using the B3LYP, BLYP, and P functionals. In the optimized structures of the complexes [CdThr]²⁺ and [Cd(Thr)₂]²⁺, threonine acts as a bidentate ligand and cadmium binds to oxygen atoms of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups with the formation of one and two six-mem- bered rings, respectively. In the complex [Cd(Thr)₃]²⁺, cadmium binds to three nitrogen atoms and three oxygen atoms of carbonyl groups in three Thr molecules to form three five-mem- bered rings.

The cooperative effects between T-shape stacking and hydrogen bond interactions in X-ben⊥pyr···H–F complexes were investigated in this work. The results indicate that the electron-withdrawing/donating substituents decrease/increase the magnitude of the binding energies compared to the unsubstituted X-ben⊥pyr···H–F (X = H) complex. The cooperative effects have been studied while using the atoms in molecules (AIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) methods, allowing us to evaluate the interplay between T-shape stacking and hydrogen bond interactions. There are good relationships among binding energies, Hammett constants, geometrical parameters, and the results of AIM and NBO analysis in X-ben⊥pyr···H–F complexes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effect of nisin-loaded chitosan/alginate nanoparticles as a novel antibacterial delivery vehicle. The nisin-loaded nanoparticles were prepared using colloidal dispersion of the chitosan/alginate polymers in the presence of nisin. After the preparation of the nisin-loaded nanoparticles, their physicochemical properties such as size, shape, and zeta potential of the formulations were studied using scanning electron microscope and nanosizer instruments, consecutively. FTIR and differential scanning calorimetery studies were performed to investigate polymer–polymer or polymer–protein interactions. Next, the release kinetics and entrapment efficiency of the nisin-loaded nanoparticles were examined to assess the application potential of these formulations as a candidate vector. For measuring the antibacterial activity of the nisin-loaded nanoparticles, agar diffusion and MIC methods were employed. The samples under investigation for total microbial counts were pasteurized and raw milks each of which contained the nisin-loaded nanoparticles and inoculated Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 19117 at 10⁶ CFU/mL), pasteurized and raw milks each included free nisin and S. aureus (10⁶ CFU/mL), and pasteurized and raw milks each had S. aureus (10⁶ CFU/mL) in as control. Total counts of S. aureus were measured after 24 and 48 h for the pasteurized milk samples and after the time intervals of 0, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 24 h for the raw milk samples, respectively. According to the results, entrapment efficiency of nisin inside of the nanoparticles was about 90–95%. The average size of the nanoparticles was 205 nm, and the average zeta potential of them was −47 mV. In agar diffusion assay, an antibacterial activity (inhibition zone diameter, at 450 IU/mL) about 2 times higher than that of free nisin was observed for the nisin-loaded nanoparticles. MIC of the nisin-loaded nanoparticles (0.5 mg/mL) was about four times less than that of free nisin (2 mg/mL). Evaluation of the kinetic of the growth of S. aureus based on the total counts in the raw and pasteurized milks revealed that the nisin-loaded nanoparticles were able to inhibit more effectively the growth of S. aureus than free nisin during longer incubation periods. In other words, the decrease in the population of S. aureus for free nisin and the nisin-loaded nanoparticles in pasteurized milk was the same after 24 h of incubation while lessening in the growth of S. aureus was more marked for the nisin-loaded nanoparticles than the samples containing only free nisin after 48 h of incubation. Although the same growth reduction profile in S. aureus was noticed for free nisin and the nisin-loaded nanoparticles in the raw milk up to 14 h of incubation, after this time the nisin-loaded nanoparticles showed higher growth inhibition than free nisin. Since, generally, naked nisin has greater interactions with the ingredients present in milk samples in comparison with the protected nisin. Therefore, it is concluded that the antibacterial activity of nisin naturally decreases more during longer times of incubation than the protected nisin with the chitosan/alginate nanoparticles. Consequently, this protection increases and keeps antibacterial efficiency of nisin in comparison with free nisin during longer times of storage. These results can pave the way for further research and use of these nanoparticles as new antimicrobial agents in various realms of dairy products.

Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of ketones with potassium peroxydisulfate (K₂S₂O₈) and sulfuric acid generates the anticipated esters or lactones. These products are transformed into new esters (or hydroxy esters) in the presence of alcohols via transesterification under Baeyer–Villiger reaction conditions in one pot.

Graphical Abstract

A mild and efficient method was developed for selective benzylation and methylation of hydroxyl compounds in the presence of a catalytic amount of ferric perchlorate. We showed that ferric perchlorate was very effective in selectively promoting the benzylation and methylation of primary aliphatic and benzylic alcohols versus secondary aliphatic alcohols and phenolic hydroxy groups.

Graphical abstract

The aims of the present study are to investigate removal of ammonium ion from wastewater using natural Western Azarbaijan zeolite and to optimize effective parameters by experimental design. In order to remove ammonium ions from aqueous solutions, experiments were carried out using column method as functions of the initial ammonium concentration, flow rate and pH of the solution. The results clearly confirmed that all mentioned parameters have vital affects on removing ammonium ions from wastewater and effluents, so got optimized. Central composite design with response surface methodology was applied for the optimization of main experiment parameters. The significance of the independent variables and their interactions were tested by the analysis of variance ANOVA and f-test statistics. Optimization of the variables for maximum removal efficiency by natural zeolite was performed using the quadratic model. The model predicted maximum removal efficiency under the optimum conditions including initial ammonium concentration of 30 mg l⁻¹; flow rate of 1 ml min⁻¹ and pH 6, which was very close to the experimental value determined in column experiment. The cation exchange capacity of natural Western Azarbaijan zeolite was found to be 1.79 meq g⁻¹. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that the natural Western Azarbaijan zeolite has an excellent potential for removing ammonium ions from aqueous solutions and it is suggested as a suitable material for wastewater treatment.

The electro-oxidation of cysteamine (CA) and tryptophan (TP) were studied by vinylferrocene-modified carbon nanotubes paste electrode using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and square wave voltammetry. This modified electrode exhibits persistent electron-mediating behavior followed by well-separated oxidation peaks towards CA and TP with decreasing their overpotentials. For the mixture containing CA and TP, the peaks potential well separated from each other. Using the modified electrode, the kinetics of CA electrooxidation was considerably enhanced by lowering the anodic overpotential through a catalytic fashion. Using square wave voltammetry, simultaneous determination of AC and TP has been explored at the modified electrode. Their square wave voltammetrics peaks current increased linearly with their concentration at the ranges of 0.09–500 and 5.0–1,000 μM, respectively with the detection limits of 0.05 and 1.0 μM, respectively. The modified electrode was successfully used for the determination of the analytes in real samples with satisfactory results.

Nanoparticles of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂) and nanosheets of lithium vanadium oxide (LiV₃O₈) were synthesized by a citrate sol–gel combustion route. The physical characterizations of the electrodic materials were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and also X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Near spherical nanoparticles of ≈100 nm and compact nanosheets with a few nanometers thick were observed by SEM and TEM for LiCoO₂ and LiV₃O₈, respectively. XRD data indicated that the as-prepared active materials presented pure phase of rhombohedral LiCoO₂ with R-3m symmetry and monoclinic LiV₃O₈ with p2₁/m symmetry. The kinetics of electrochemical intercalation of lithium ion into the nanoparticles of LiCoO₂ and nanosheets of LiV₃O₈ from 1.0 mol l⁻¹ LiNO₃ aqueous solution were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. An aqueous rechargeable lithium-ion battery consisting of LiCoO₂ nanoparticles as positive and LiV₃O₈ nanosheets as negative electrode was assembled. This battery represented a discharge voltage of about 1 V with good cycling performance.

The preparation of glass-ionomer cements based on the composition of SiO₂–Al₂O₃–CaO–SrO–F and evaluation of their properties is described. Cements were prepared via the sol–gel method and characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, and EDAX analysis. The effect of various concentrations of Sr on in vitro bioactivity of the glass speciments was investigated. In vitro bioactivity of the samples was evaluated by soaking them in simulated body fluid followed by structural characterization using SEM and atomic absorption analysis. A glass specimen with 0.5 mol of Sr exhibited appropriate bioactivity.

The conformational behavior of 1,2-difluoroethane (1), 1,2-dichloroethane (2), 1,2-dibromoethane (3), and 1,2-diiodoethane (4) have been analyzed by means of complete basis set CBS-QB3, hybrid-density functional theory (B3LYP/Def2-TZVPP) based methods and natural bond orbital (NBO) interpretation. Both methods showed the expected greater stability of the gauche conformation of compound 1 compared to its anti conformation. Contrary to compound 1, the anti conformations of compounds 2–4 are more stable than their gauche conformation. The stability of the anti conformation compared to the gauche conformation increases from compound 1 to compound 4. The NBO analysis of donor–acceptor (σ → σ*) interactions showed that the generalized anomeric effect (GAE) is in favor of the gauche conformation of compound 1. Contrary to compound 1, GAE is in favor of the anti conformations of compounds 2–4. The GAE values calculated (i.e., GAE_anti − GAE_gauche) increase from compound 1 to compound 4. On the other hand, the calculated dipole moment values for the gauche conformations decrease from compound 1 to compound 4. In the conflict between the GAE and dipole moments, the former succeeded in accounting for the increase of the anti conformation stability from compound 1 to compound 4. There is a direct correlation between the calculated GAE, ∆[r_c–c(G) − r_c–c(A)] and ∆[r_c–x(A) − r_c–x(G)] parameters. The correlations between the GAE, bond orders, total steric exchange energies (TSEEs), ΔG_{Anti–Gauche}, ΔG^‡(Gauche → Gauche′, C_2v), ΔG^‡(Anti → Gauche, C₂), dipole–dipole interactions, structural parameters, and conformational behaviors of compounds 1–4 have been investigated.

An efficient one-pot, three-component synthesis of symmetric dialkyl 2,5-bis((2,6-dimethylphenyl)imino)-2,5-dihydrofuran-3,4-dicarboxylate derivatives is described. The advantages of the method are high bond-forming efficiency, simple operation, and high yield.

Graphical Abstract

The objective of the present work was the synthesis and characterization of a methacrylate-containing siliconized epoxy hybrid monomer and its emulsion copolymerization in the presence of styrene/butyl acrylate monomers. The purity and structural conformation of this monomer were ascertained from FTIR and NMR spectral studies. Thermal properties of the copolymers were investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. The morphology of copolymers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and then the effect of siliconized epoxy hybrid monomer concentration on the water absorption ratio was examined. The results show that the water-resistance of the terpolymer films was higher compared with the films of styrene-co-butyl acrylate copolymer.

Spirocyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes (CAACs) with reasonable conformations of cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, and cyclohexyl substituents in the position α to the carbenic center are investigated at B3LYP/AUG-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-31+G*. The singlet–triplet energy separations (∆E_s−t), HOMO–LUMO energy gaps (∆E_HOMO−LUMO), hydrogenation energies (∆E_H), heats of methylene formation (∆E) as well as philicity indices (N and ω) of these carbenes are compared and contrasted. The highest ∆E_s−t is encountered for the cyclopropyl substituted CAAC (54.2 kcal/mol), while the other ones lay in a narrow range of 48.2–51.8 kcal/mol. Assignment of the barriers for ring inversions is carried out in order to probe the “flexible steric bulk” of cyclic substituents, showing negligible differences with those of the unsubstituted rings. The calculated N and ω indices indicate that in contrast to the popular belief, CAACs appear less electrophilic than N-heteorcyclic carbenes (NHCs).

A Zn(II) metal–organic framework with nano-sized channels from 4,4′-bipyridine (4,4′-bipy) and 4′-sulfo-biphenyl-4-carboxylate (sbpc²⁻) ligands, {[Zn(μ-4,4′-bipy)_1.5(μ-sbpc)]·5H₂O}_n (1), has been synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Compound 1 was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The structural studies show the Zn atoms have a six-coordinate geometry with a distorted octahedral environment constructed of paddle-wheel [Zn₂(OOC)₄] building units with 4,4′-bipy and sbpc²⁻ linkers stacked over each other to generate three-dimensional nano-sized channels occupied by guest H₂O molecules.

The thermo-physical properties of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)/isophoronediamine (IPDA) with iron nanoparticles were investigated using DSC, DMT, and TG analysis. Because of the higher values of the glass transition, it is recognized that the optimum behavior of the three-component system corresponds to the 10% loading level of iron nanoparticles. The addition of iron nanoparticles into the epoxy matrix resulted in a significant increment in the storage modulus and crosslink density. Also, the DGEBA/IPDA/10% iron nanoparticles showed an enhanced thermal stability owing to the introduction of iron nanoparticles as reinforcing filler. Curing reaction of DGEBA/IPDA with 10% iron nanoparticles was investigated by DSC at dynamic mode. Activation energy was calculated based on Kissinger method (66.52 kJ mol⁻¹). Also, the advanced isoconversional method is utilized to describe the curing reaction process. In the dynamic DSC analyses, the curing kinetics could be successfully described with the two-parameter autocatalytic model (Sěsták–Berggren equation) and the overall reaction order was about 2.78.

The photocatalytic degradation of betamethasone sodium phosphate has been investigated in aqueous phase by using ultraviolet (UV) light and ZnO nanopowder. The effect of catalyst loading, irradiation time, pH, addition of oxidizers, effect of alcohol and anion presence on the reaction rate was ascertained and optimum conditions for maximum degradation were determined. The photocatalytic degradation of betamethasone sodium phosphate was strongly influenced by these parameters. The optimum amount of the photocatalyst used is 0.44 g/L. The efficiency of betamethasone sodium phosphate increases with the photo-degradation increase of the irradiation time.

Abstact

An artificial neural network (ANN) is constructed and trained for the prediction of gas to water partition coefficients of various organic compounds. The inputs of this neural network are theoretically derived from molecular descriptors that were chosen by the genetic algorithm-partial least squares (GA-PLS) feature selection technique. These descriptors are: area-weighted surface charge of hydrogen bonding donor atoms (HDCA-2), average bond order of a C atom (P_C), Kier flexibility index (Φ), atomic charge weighted partial positively charged surface area (PPSA-3), and difference between atomic charge weighted partial positive and negative surface areas (DPSA-3). By comparing the results obtained from PLS and ANN models, one can see that statistical parameters (Fisher ratio, correlation coefficient, and standard error) of the ANN model are better than those of the PLS model, which indicates that a nonlinear model can simulate more accurately the relationship between the structural descriptors and the partition coefficients of the investigated molecules.

A simple and rapid binary solvents-based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (BS-DLLME) method has been developed for determination of patulin (PAT) in apple juice followed by high-performance liquid chromatography. This method involves the use of an appropriate mixture of miscible binary extraction solvents and disperser solvent to form fine droplets of extractant in a sample solution. Parameters affecting extraction efficiency such as the type and volume of high-density extraction solvent, the volume of ethyl acetate, the kind and volume of disperser solvent, and salt addition were investigated and optimized. The detection and quantification limits were 2.0 and 10.0 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The relative standard deviation for five measurements of 25 μg L⁻¹ of PAT was 3.8 %. The relative recoveries of PAT from apple juice samples at spiking levels of 25, 50, and 75 ng mL⁻¹ were in the range of 91.3–95.2 %.

The binding properties and structural changes of mushroom tyrosinase enzyme, MT, due to its interactions with phenyl dithiocarbamate (I) and p-phenylene-bis dithiocarbamate (II), were investigated at 27 and 37 °C in phosphate buffer (10 mmol⋅L⁻¹) at pH = 6.8 by isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC). The extended solvation model was used to calculate the solvation parameters, which were attributed to the stability of this enzyme. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the predominant mode of interaction was hydrophobic in the binding of compound I to MT, while the binding of II to MT essentially depends on electrostatic interactions. It seems that II is a more potent MT inhibitor due to its two charged head groups that are able to chelate copper ions in the active enzyme site. It was concluded that MT has two distinct sites for p-phenylene-bis and phenyl dithiocarbamate.

Background

Rubber compounds are widely used in many applications because of the properties they exhibit. The physical and mechanical properties of these blends are sensitive to small variations in the amount of the individual polymers used. Thermogravimetry is currently gaining wide acceptance as a method for compositional analysis of vulcanizates. Knowledge of the relationship among thermal behavior of rubber compounds with their rheological properties is important for the assessment of the optimum process conditions to produce materials that have required properties. The correlation of rheological properties of rubber compounds based on natural rubber/styrene-butadiene rubber with their thermal behavior has been assessed using thermogravimetry analysis. Thermogravimetric method permits the analysis to be completed in a short time and requires only a small sample.

Results

Thermogravimetry derivative profile (DTG) of the uncured blends and their rheological properties were investigated. Differential derivative curves of uncured vulcanizate showed that the degradation of styrene-butadiene rubber takes place at a higher temperature than that of natural rubber. According to DTG curves, two useful factors were demonstrated. These factors were the peak height ratio of natural rubber/styrene-butadiene rubber and a new factor called ‘normalized factor ,’ which could be correlated with the rheological properties of the blends.

Conclusions

The result showed that the rheological nature of samples had acceptable correlation with the factors obtained by thermal analysis method. In other words, in this work a simple and reproducible experimental method was developed to efficiently predict the rheological properties of rubber blends.

Heterogeneous hybrid polymer-inorganic copper nanoparticle-polyacrylamide/SBA-15 was prepared, characterized and tested as a catalyst for efficiently selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes in high yields under molecular oxygen in n-hexane solvent. The catalyst can be recycled over six-times without significant loss of activity.

In this research the interaction of dioxovanadium(V) with iminodiacetic acid has been considered at 25 °C and pH=1.00–2.50 in an ionic strength range of 0.1 to 1.0 mol⋅dm⁻³ of NaClO₄ by UV spectrophotometric and potentiometric techniques. Only one species, VO₂H₂L⁺, was assumed on the basis of two stoichiometric models. The extended Debye-Hückel theory predicts the first order effects in simple electrolyte solutions. Interactions between the reacting species and the ionic medium are taken into account in the specific ion interaction model. Parabolic, specific ion interaction, and extended Debye-Hückel models have been compared and it has been shown that the parabolic model with two coefficients is satisfactory for this complexation reaction. The results have also been compared with the literature values.