The Use of a Natural Polysaccharide Extracted from the Prickly Pear Cactus () as an Additive for Textile Dyeing.

The art of dyeing fabrics is one of the oldest human activities. In order to improve the fastness properties of dyeing products, various additives are added to optimize the uniformity of fibers and surfaces and improve dye distribution. Unfortunately, these additives can be harmful and very often are not biodegradable.

HS-SPME-GC-MS determination of the scent of taxa (fam. Orchidaceae) from Basilicata (Southern Italy).

The scent of species has been analyzed by using HS-SPME-GC-MS. The sample was collected in Basilicata (Southern Italy). Every species showed a different composition of the scent in the analyses we performed.

FT-ICR-MS analysis of lignin.

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) of a steam-exploded lignin from wheat straw showed that fragments with a mass higher than 4534 Da cannot be obtained. Furthermore, FT-ICR-MS showed that lignin is not a completely random polymer, but shows some regularity with a difference of 44.026 m/z (C₂H₄O) between the peaks.

Novel imazethapyr detoxification applying advanced oxidation processes.

Different degradation methods have been applied to assess the suitability of advanced oxidation process (AOPs) to promote mineralization of imazethapyr [(RS)-5-ethyl-2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)nicotinic acid], a widely used imidazolinone class herbicide, the persistence of which has been demonstrated in surface and ground waters destined to human uses. Independent of the oxidation process assessed, the decomposition of imazethapyr always followed a pseudo-first order kinetic. The direct UV-irradiation (UV) of the herbicide as well as its oxidation with ozone (O₃), and hydrogen peroxide tied to UV-irradiation (H₂O₂/UV) were sufficiently slow to permit the identification of intermediate products, the formation pathway of which has been proposed.

Photodegradation of crude oil on a solid support.

The modifications of crude oil after absorption on silica, montmorillonite, and zeolite were studied. Solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that some compounds are kept better by the solid support than other ones. The modifications that occurred were studied considering the relative amount of different classes of compounds, the number of compounds in function of the number of carbon atoms, and the relative amount in function of the number of carbon atoms for different classes of compounds (linear alkanes, branched alkanes, cyclic alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, and alkenes).

[Prevalence of hearing loss in elderly individuals over 65 years of age: a pilot study in Lombardia (Italy)].

A cross sectional study was performed to determine the prevalence of hearing loss in individuals over age 65 years presenting to a medical centre in Lombardia (Italy). The aim was to assess the feasibility of performing a survey to evaluate the prevalence of hearing loss in the entire region. Audiometric testing was performed in each enrolled subject, to reveal losses in hearing levels at 250 to 8000 Hz; hearing levels were measured in decibels.

Photochemical degradation of crude oil: Comparison between direct irradiation, photocatalysis, and photocatalysis on zeolite.

Direct irradiation for 100h of crude oil from Basilicata (Southern Italy) gave in the case of linear and branched alkanes a reduction of 9 and 5%, respectively. On the contrary, cyclic alkanes decreased for 54% while aromatic hydrocarbons showed a reduction of 37%. These results are in agreement with a prevalent electron transfer mechanism.

Paternò-Büchi reaction between aromatic carbonyl compounds and 1-(3-furyl)alkanols.

The photochemical reaction between aromatic carbonyl compounds and 3-furylmethanol derivatives occurs with high regioselectivity. In most of the experiments formation of oxetanes occurs at the hydroxyalkylated double bond. With chiral 1-(3-furyl)alkanols the reaction occurs with good-high stereoselectivity.

The stereoselectivity of the Paternò-Büchi reaction between tertiary 2-furylmethanol derivatives and aromatic carbonyl compounds: on the nature of the hydroxy directing effect.

The photochemical reaction of 1-(2-furyl)-1-phenylethanol with benzaldehyde gave a mixture of regioisomeric products. The adduct obtained on the more hindered side of the molecule was obtained with complete diastereoselectivity. The same substrate with benzophenone gave only one product with a diastereoisomeric excess of 48%.

On the Paternò-Büchi reaction of chiral phenylglyoxylate esters with furan derivatives.

The reaction of (S)-1-methylpropylbenzoylformate with furan gave (1'S)-1'-methylpropyl (1S,5R,6R)-6alpha-phenyl-2,7-dioxabicyclo[3.2.0]hept-3-en-6beta-carboxylate with de = 15%.