An Approach in Synthesis of 1-Morpholino-2-phenylethane-1,2-dione Catalyzed by Copper (II) Bromide

A novel approach towards synthesis of α-Ketoamides was serendipitously found in acetophenone's reaction with a secondary amine catalyzed by copper (II) bromide. This methodology is a promising simple alternative to access biologically active compounds containing α-Ketoamides. Reactions were carried out at room temperature using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent and catalyst loading at 10 mol %. The products were purified using a chromatographic method and analyzed extensively by spectroscopic methods, namely 1D (1H and 13C) and 2D NMR (HMBC and HSQC). The reaction of acetophenone and morpholine furnished a yield of 6%. Acetophenone derivatives bearing benzyl and acetyl groups were prepared from para-hydroxy acetophenone with 25% and 99% yields, respectively. The products were analyzed by spectroscopic method, namely 1H and 13C NMR. The presence of substituents, namely hydroxyl, benzyl, acetyl group, prevent the formation of α-Ketoamides. Formation of α-Ketoamides in this reaction condition was proposed as the result of the oxidation product in the catalytic cycle of Cu (II).

A Comprehensive Report on the Modern Applications of Inorganic Materials in Biofuel Cell Industry

In this review, a partial description of inorganic materials from different sources has been presented to understand the function of biofuel cells. One of today’s greatest problems is the deficiency of fossil fuels and particularly oil. While also concerning over the environmental issue one of the new and effective resources of energy is biofuel cells (BFCs). It is important to keep in mind that the recent progress in the application of inorganic materials in biofuel cells put the emphasis particularly on the electrode and redox behaviour. Here we have discussed the primary challenges of applying inorganic materials to use as electrode in BFCs for future technology. Recently the future of energy depends on the creative design of the stable and efficient systems to produce clean and renewable energy sources, such as biofuel cells. The physical challenges and associated problems lead our discussion in better engineering path as well as in theoretical approach to apply various inorganic substances in BFCs.

Recent Advances on Plasmon-enhanced Titania Nanocatalysts for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes

In the past several years, solar-driven photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes has been considered as one of the most promising and effective ways to address water pollution issues. Nevertheless, the implementation of such technology for large scale industrial wastewater application is still hampered by the limitation in currently used photocatalysts. Recently, plasmon-enhanced titania-based nanocatalyst has emerged as one of the promising photocatalytic materials for solar-driven wastewater treatment due to its excellent activity and ability to absorb a large portion of solar radiation. Therefore, this review highlights recent progress on applying such material for the photodegradation of organic dyes. In this review, the focus is placed on several mechanisms on how the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon could enhance the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors, such as TiO2. Furthermore, the performance of several types of plasmon-enhanced titania nanocatalyst with different kinds of metal plasmonic nanoparticles, i.e., Au-TiO2, Ag-TiO2, and Pd-TiO2, is also compared and comprehensively discussed. Finally, a particular emphasis is also given to highlight the nanocatalysts' kinetics in facilitating the photocatalytic degradation of different types of organic dyes.

Conversion of Bioethanol to Diethyl Ether Catalyzed by Sulfuric Acid and Zeolite

Ethoxy ethane, or diethyl ether, has been successfully synthesized through the condensation reaction of bioethanol produced from fruit waste fermentation using acid-activated H-Zeolite, H2SO4/H-Zeolite, and H2SO4 as catalysts. Zeolite activation was carried out using the acidification method with 1 M, 2 M, 4 M, and 6 M H2SO4 for 24 hours. Activated zeolites were characterized using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and NaOH titration. The condensation reaction of bioethanol was carried out by catalysis of H2SO4/H-Zeolite with various concentrations of 1 M, 2 M, 4 M, and 6 M and catalyzed by 2 M, 4 M, and 6 M acid-activated H-Zeolite. The condensation reaction process was carried out with a ratio of bioethanol to catalyst of 2:1 (w/w) using the fractional distillation method. Ethoxy ethane resulting from the condensation reaction was characterized using a GC instrument.

Computational and Experimental Studies of Biolubricant Stability Derived from Oleic Acid

In the present work, the stability of six biolubricant compounds, i.e. Acetal, Ketal, D[4.4], D[4.5], Cyclic-6, and Cyclic-7, was evaluated both theoretically and experimentally. These compounds were prepared from oleic acid through hydroxylation and esterification reactions. The computational study of the compounds was conducted by using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method at B3LYP level of theory and 6-31 G (d,p) basis set. The theoretical stability was reflected from the internal energy value of the hydrolysis reaction of the biolubricant compounds to form the 9,10-dihydroxystearic acid. The order of stability is given as follows: Cyclic-6 (-3.458 kJ/mol) > Acetal (-3.446 kJ/mol) > Cyclic-7 (-3.364 kJ/mol) > D[4.5] (-3.343 kJ/mol) > D[4.4] (-3.261 kJ/mol) > Ketal (-3.058 kJ/mol). On the other hand, the experimental stability of the biolubricant compounds was measured using the American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) standard method for total acid number (TAN) and total base number (TBN). It was found that the Cyclic-6 derivative yielded the lowest TAN (1.37 mg KOH/g) and TBN (3.53 mg KOH/g) values compared to the other biolubricant compounds. Meanwhile, the Cyclic-6 also showed the lowest internal energy value (-3.458 kJ/mol) from the computational study due to the high stability of six-membered ring. These results reveal that the experimental TAN and TBN values could be predicted from the theoretical internal energy value, i.e. TAN (mg KOH/g) = 35.183 (DE) – 123.02 (R2 = 0.9226) and TBN (mg KOH/g) = 105.71 (DE) – 369.72 (R2 = 0.8946), which is remarkable.

One-pot Synthesis of Polyethylene glycol-based Polymeric Monolithic Stationary Phases for Capillary Ion Chromatography

Polyethylene glycol-based polymeric monolithic stationary phases (capillary columns of 0.32 mm I.D.) were successfully prepared via one-pot-single-step reaction and were use in ion chromatography for the separation of several common inorganic anions. It should be noted that the prepared polyethylene glycol-monoliths were able to retain and separate the anions even though there were no ion-exchange sites. The retention mechanism was found to be based on the eluent cations trapped among the polyethylene glycol chains and worked as the anion-exchange sites. Several parameters such as the reaction conditions, monomer:porogen ratios, type of eluents, etc., were investigated. The relative standard deviations obtained for the retention times and signal intensities were less than 5 and 10% respectively. Theoretical plate numbers obtained for the separation of these anions were calculated to be in the range of 700-4300 plates for capillary columns of 10 cm in length.

ZnO-SiO2 and Zn2SiO4 Synthesis Utilizing Oil Palm Leaves for Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye in Aqueous Solution

A new approach was developed for the green synthesis of ZnO-SiO2 composite and Zn2SiO4 using zinc nitrate and sustainable silica precursor, oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) leaves (OPL). The products were synthesized at two different reaction temperatures through calcination in an open-air furnace at 500 and 1000 °C, respectively, and further identified with an X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis. The composite indicated by the presence of peaks at 2θ = 31.7°, 34.4°, 36.3°, 47.6°, 56.6°, and 62.9°, corresponds to ZnO and also revealed amorphous SiO2 at 2θ = 21°. Conversely, Zn2SiO4 was acknowledged at 2θ 25.6°, 31.50°, 34.0°, 39.5°, 48.9°, 56.5° and 65.6°, with crystalline silica at 2θ = 21.9°. The results showed the morphology of both products exhibited similar agglomeration based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Both products (ZnO-SiO2 composite and Zn2SiO4) possessed the capacity to degrade methylene blue (MB) under sunlight irradiation with efficiency of 85.9% and 69.3%, respectively.

Cobalt(II) Metal-organic Framework as Scintillating Material

Novel cobalt(II) metal-organic framework was grown by the reaction of a methanol solution of 8-hydroxyquinoline and benzoic acid with aqueous solution of cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate using slow solvent evaporation. The X-ray luminescence of the synthesized compound showed vibronic peaks: one with λmax at 489 nm and shoulders at 424 and 531 nm, respectively, which compare favorably with best organic scintillators such as anthracene –447 nm and stilbene –410 nm currently in application. The elemental analysis of the metal complex suggests a metal to ligands ratio of 1:1:1. Conductance measurement shows a nonelectrolytic nature of the synthesized compound. The SEM studies give the surface morphology of the complex. The observed emission bands with different dynamics in response to temperature change suggest that the Co-MOF exhibits scintillation properties. Electronic spectrum and magnetic moment studies were used to determine the geometry of the Co-MOF molecule. Thermal analysis data reported displayed the extent of stability of the Co-MOF compound. PXRD data revealed the nanocrystalline nature of the complex. Energy resolution peak observed at 2535 KeV, suggest the synthesized compound can be used as a scintillator.

Origin and Maturity of Biomarker Aliphatic Hydrocarbon in Wondama Coal Indonesia

Organic geochemical characterization of Wondama coal samples from the Lengguru Folding Belt has been carried out through the study of its aliphatic hydrocarbon biomarkers. This study is to determine the origin, depositional environment and maturity of coal which is useful for determining the use of coal as an energy source. Aliphatic hydrocarbon biomarkers were identified by using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy methods which showed the presence of n-alkane homologs (n-C15 - n-C33), which was dominated by n-C31. This indicates that the organic material originates from Angiosperms of terrestrial higher plants. The ratio of pristane to phytane (Pr/Ph) with value of 3.74 indicates that the Wondama coal is buried in an oxic depositional environment. The Carbon Preference Index (CPI) value of 7.82 and the C31αβS/(S + R) ratio of 0.27 indicate low maturity of Wondama coal and is classified into a sub-bituminous coal ranks.

Methods for Acrolein Detection: Recent Advances and Applications

Acrolein holds excellent potential as a critical biomarker in various oxidative stress-related diseases, and direct measurement of acrolein in biological systems is becoming essential to provide information for diagnosis and therapeutic purposes. In this review, we will discuss some available techniques for the detection of acrolein from biological samples. A conventional analytical method for the detection of acrolein by using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis after derivatization with 3-aminophenol is available. However, it is not suitable for high-throughput assay and inconvenient for measurement in clinical practice. On the other hand, we have recently discovered that phenyl azide can rapidly and selectively react with acrolein in a click manner to provide 4-formyl-1,2,3-triazoline through 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. Moreover, we have successfully utilized this acrolein-azide click reaction as a simple and robust method for detecting and visualizing acrolein generated by live cells. Herein, we will describe our reaction-based acrolein sensor and its application to detect and visualize breast cancer tissues. We utilized the azide-acrolein click reaction-based method to discriminate breast cancer lesion from the normal breast gland, which resected from breast cancer patients. This method is the first example of an organic synthetic chemistry-based approach that can be used not only to visualize the cancer tissue but also to distinguish morphology of the resected tissue only within a few minutes. It has a potential clinical application for breast-conserving surgery. Furthermore, the ability to perform chemical reactions with cancer metabolites only at the desired cancer site is highly advantageous for cancer therapy.