Thiol-functionalized cellulose for mercury polluted water remediation: Synthesis and study of the adsorption properties.

Mercury pollution poses a global health threat due to its high toxicity, especially in seafood where it accumulates through various pathways. Developing effective and affordable technologies for mercury removal from water is crucial. Adsorption stands out as a promising method, but creating low-cost materials with high selectivity and capacity for mercury adsorption is challenging.

Reactive Deep Eutectic Solvent for an Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Cellulose Carbamate.

The limited solubility of natural cellulose in water and common organic solvents hinders its diverse applications, despite being one of the most abundant and easily accessible biopolymers on Earth. Chemical derivatization, such as cellulose carbamate (CC), offers a pathway to enhance both solubility and industrial processability. In this study, CC was synthesized by exploiting a novel type IV deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of erbium trichloride and urea.

Bio-Based Polyurethane Foams for the Removal of Petroleum-Derived Pollutants: Sorption in Batch and in Continuous-Flow.

In this paper, we evaluated the potential of two synthesized bio-based polyurethane foams, PU1 and PU2, for the removal of diesel and gasoline from water mixtures. We started the investigation with the experiment in batch. The total sorption capacity S (g/g) for the diesel/water system was slightly higher with respect to gasoline/water, with a value of 62 g/g for PU1 and 65 g/g for PU2.

Novel Regioselective Synthesis of 1,3,4,5-Tetrasubstituted Pyrazoles and Biochemical Valuation on FF-ATPase and Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore Formation.

An efficient, eco-compatible, and very cheap method for the construction of fully substituted pyrazoles (Pzs) via eliminative nitrilimine-alkene 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (ENAC) reaction was developed in excellent yield and high regioselectivity. Enaminones and nitrilimines generated in situ were selected as dipolarophiles and dipoles, respectively. A deep screening of the employed base, solvent, and temperature was carried out to optimize reaction conditions.

Regioselective Synthesis and Molecular Docking Studies of 1,5-Disubstituted 1,2,3-Triazole Derivatives of Pyrimidine Nucleobases.

1,2,3-triazoles are versatile building blocks with growing interest in medicinal chemistry. For this reason, organic chemistry focuses on the development of new synthetic pathways to obtain 1,2,3-triazole derivatives, especially with pyridine moieties. In this work, a novel series of 1,5-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles functionalized with pyrimidine nucleobases were prepared via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction in a regioselective manner for the first time.

1,5-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles counteract mitochondrial dysfunction acting on FF-ATPase in models of cardiovascular diseases.

The compromised viability and function of cardiovascular cells are rescued by small molecules of triazole derivatives (Tzs), identified as 3a and 3b, by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction. The oxidative phosphorylation improves the respiratory control rate in the presence of Tzs independently of the substrates that energize the mitochondria. The FF-ATPase, the main candidate in mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) formation, is the biological target of Tzs and hydrophilic F domain of the enzyme is depicted as the binding region of Tzs.

Cellulose citrate: a convenient and reusable bio-adsorbent for effective removal of methylene blue dye from artificially contaminated water.

In the present work, we proved the efficacy of cellulose citrate to remove methylene blue (MB) from artificially contaminated water. MB is a widely used dye, but because of its chemical aromatic structure, it is significantly stable with quite slow biodegradation, causing consequent serious health problems for people and significant environmental pollution. Cellulose citrate, the bio-adsorbent proposed and studied by us to remediate water polluted by MB, is produced by a green, cheap and fast procedure that makes use of two abundant natural products, cellulose and citric acid.

Biochar-Supported TiO-Based Nanocomposites for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole in Water-A Review.

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is a frequently used antibiotic for the treatment of urinary tract, respiratory, and intestinal infections and as a supplement in livestock or fishery farming to boost production. The release of SMX into the environment can lead to the development of antibiotic resistance among the microbial community, which can lead to frequent clinical infections. SMX removal from water is usually done through advanced treatment processes, such as adsorption, photocatalytic oxidation, and biodegradation.

Synthesis, Characterization and Mechanical Properties of Novel Bio-Based Polyurethane Foams Using Cellulose-Derived Polyol for Chain Extension and Cellulose Citrate as a Thickener Additive.

A novel series of bio-based polyurethane composite foams was prepared, employing a cellulose-derived polyol for chain extension and cellulose-citrate as a thickener additive. The utilized polyol was obtained from the reduction reaction of cellulose-derived bio-oil through the use of sodium borohydride and iodine. Primarily, we produced both rigid and flexible polyurethane foams through chain extension of the prepolymers.

Efficient and Fast Removal of Oils from Water Surfaces via Highly Oleophilic Polyurethane Composites.

In this study we evaluated the oil adsorption capacity of an aliphatic polyurethane foam (PU ) and two of its composites, produced through surface coating using microparticles of silica (PU-Si ) and activated carbon (PU-ac ). The oil adsorption capacity in diesel was improved up to 36% using the composite with silica and up to 50% using the composite with activated carbon with respect to the initial PU . Excellent performances were retained in gasoline and motor oil.

1,5-Disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles as inhibitors of the mitochondrial Ca -activated F F -ATP(hydrol)ase and the permeability transition pore.

The mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), a high-conductance channel triggered by a sudden Ca concentration increase, is composed of the F F -ATPase. Since mPTP opening leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, which is a feature of many diseases, a great pharmacological challenge is to find mPTP modulators. In our study, the effects of two 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives, five-membered heterocycles with three nitrogen atoms in the ring and capable of forming secondary interactions with proteins, were investigated.

Totally green cellulose conversion into bio-oil and cellulose citrate using molten citric acid in an open system: synthesis, characterization and computational investigation of reaction mechanisms.

The simultaneous transformation of crystalline or amorphous cellulose into a furan-based bio-oil and cellulose citrate was realized avoiding the use of strong inorganic acids, drastic conditions, enzymatic treatments or microorganism fermentation. This innovative method is very eco-friendly and involves the use of molten citric acid under solvent free conditions at atmospheric pressure. An accurate discussion on chemical composition of the bio-oil enriched in bioprivileged molecules as well as structural and morphological characterization of cellulose citrate was reported.

Sequestering Ability of a Synthetic Chelating Agent towards Copper(II) and Iron(III): A Detailed Theoretical and Experimental Analysis.

In the continuous effort to identify selective chelators towards bioavailable and toxic metal ions, the potential selectivity of a novel N,O chelating ligand, recently synthesized and claimed to be able to bind to Cu(II) ions forming stable complexes while leaving unaltered the level of essential metal ions, was scrutinized using a combined theoretical and experimental approach. A multistep synthetic procedure was used to synthesize the ligand, whose chelating properties along with the stability of the complexes formed binding Cu(II) and, for comparison, Fe(III) ions were evaluated using potentiometric measurements and UV-Vis spectroscopy. DFT analysis allowed to disclose the structural characteristics of the formed complexes.

Synthesis, Biological and In Silico Evaluation of Pure Nucleobase-Containing Spiro (Indane-Isoxazolidine) Derivatives as Potential Inhibitors of MDM2-p53 Interaction.

Nucleobase-containing isoxazolidines spiro-bonded to an indane core have been synthesized in very good yields by regio- and diastereoselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition starting from indanyl nitrones and -vinylnucleobases by using environmentally benign microwave technology. The contemporary presence of various structural groups that are individually active scaffolds of different typology of drugs, has directed us to speculate that these compounds may act as inhibitors of MDM2-p53 interaction. Therefore, both computational calculations and antiproliferative screening against A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells and human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were carried out to support this hypothesis.

Antiproliferative activity of novel isatinyl/indanyl nitrones (INs) as potential spin trapping agents of free radical intermediates.

A series of ketonitrones derived from isatin and indanone (INs) were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against several human cancer cell lines. Then, the antioxidant properties of these substrates were measured by the DPPH test to report their biological activity in terms of their action. In particular, one substrate has showed very high biological and scavenging activity, probably due to the strong correlation between its spin trapping activity and structure.

Biorenewable Deep Eutectic Solvent for Selective and Scalable Conversion of Furfural into Cyclopentenone Derivatives.

The development of novel synthetic routes to produce bioactive compounds starting from renewable sources has become an important research area in organic and medicinal chemistry. Here, we present a low-cost procedure for the tunable and selective conversion of biomass-produced furfural to cyclopentenone derivatives using a mixture of choline chloride and urea as a biorenewable deep eutectic solvent (DES). The proposed medium is a nontoxic, biodegradable, and could be reused up to four times without any unfavorable effect on the reaction yield.

High-throughput mass spectrometry: the mechanism of sudan azo dye fragmentation by ESI tandem mass spectrometry and extensive deuterium labeling experiments.

The investigation of the gas-phase chemistry of azo compounds by mass spectrometry dates back to the introduction of this peculiar research field into the armory of physical organic chemistry tools. The mechanism of the fragmentation of the azo double bond from the protonated precursor is discussed with reference to the behavior of deuterium-labeled reference compounds. The investigated molecules belong to the sudan family and the results can be used for the detection of these potential carcinogenic compounds in different matrices by means of the isotope dilution method.

A facile Er(OTf)3-catalyzed synthesis of 2,3-unsaturated O- and S-glycosides.

Er(OTf)(3) is a useful catalyst for the Ferrier rearrangement furnishing high yields of O- and S-glycosides. The transformation has wide applicability, cleaner reaction profiles, mild reaction conditions, and high stereoselectivity and the catalyst, which is also commercially available, can be recovered and reused.

A metabolomic approach to the evaluation of the origin of extra virgin olive oil: a convenient statistical treatment of mass spectrometric analytical data.

The selection of suitable markers from the secondary metabolism of lipoxygenase, in experimental olive oils produced from drupes harvested in different areas of the Italian Calabria region and of Tunisia, allows an easy discrimination between each cluster of samples. The origin of the foodstuff can be ascertained even when the distances between the production zones are very close to each other as in Calabria. Olive oils produced from irrigated and nonirrigated farms in Tunisia were also clearly distinguishable.

Mild and efficient method for the cleavage of benzylidene acetals by using erbium (III) triflate.

Er(OTf)3 is proposed as new efficient Lewis acid catalyst in a mild deprotection protocol of benzylidene derivatives. In a modified procedure, where acetic anhydride is used as the reaction solvent, the simultaneous cleavage of the benzylidene acetal and the peracetylation of the substrates is obtained in quantitative yields and very short reaction times.

Molecular modeling, synthesis, and preliminary biological evaluation of glutathione-S-transferase inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents.

Changes in the GSH/GST system have been found to correlate with resistance to anticancer alkylating agents, presumably through accelerated detoxification of these drugs since some GSTs have been shown to catalyze the conjugation of GSH to specific antineoplastic agents. GSH-alkyl derivatives were designed by molecular modeling, synthesized, and tested as inhibitors of human GST-Pi.