The photolytic breakdown of caffeine and paracetamol residues in surface water.

High concentrations of the most consumed pharmaceuticals, caffeine and paracetamol, have been observed globally in wastewater treatment plant discharge. Here, we assess the potential for photodegradation of caffeine and paracetamol residues at concentrations like those observed in treated wastewater discharges to the environment. Laboratory assays were used to measure rates of photodegradation of these two compounds both in distilled water and in natural river water with leaf litter leachate.

Organic/hybrid nanoparticles and single-walled carbon nanotubes: preparation methods and chiral applications.

Nanoparticles are molecular-sized solids with at least one dimension measuring between 1-100 nm or 10-1000 nm depending on the individual discipline's perspective. They are aggregates of anywhere from a few hundreds to tens of thousands of atoms which render them larger than molecules but smaller than bulk solids. Consequently, they frequently exhibit physical and chemical properties somewhere between.