Nucleoside-Based Cross-Linkers for Hydrogels with Tunable Properties.

Herein, we report bioderived cross-linkers to create biopolymer-based hydrogels with tunable properties. Nucleosides (inosine and uridine) and ribose (pentose sugar lucking the nitrogenous base) were partially oxidized to yield inosine dialdehyde (IdA), uridine dialdehyde (UdA), and ribose dialdehyde (RdA). The dialdehydes were further used as cross-linkers with polysaccharide chitosan to form hydrogels.

A Colorimetric Method for Measuring Iron Content in Plants.

Iron, one of the most important micronutrients in living organisms, is involved in basic processes, such as respiration and photosynthesis. Iron content is rather low in all organisms, amounting in plants to about 0.009% of dry weight.