Publications by authors named "Orlando Santoro"

Article Synopsis
  • Researchers have engineered an E. coli strain with five enzymes to transform vanillin from lignin into high-value cis,cis-muconic acid (ccMA) using green biotechnology.
  • They optimized the production process in a bioreactor, achieving a significant yield of 5.2 g/L of ccMA in 48 hours by pulse-feeding vanillin.
  • The ccMA produced is a key ingredient for creating a fully biodegradable polymer with rubber-like characteristics, emphasizing a sustainable approach to generating bio-based materials from renewable resources.
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Synthetic polymer surfaces provide an excellent opportunity for developing materials with inherent antimicrobial and/or biocidal activity, therefore representing an answer to the increasing demand for antimicrobial active medical devices. So far, biologists and material scientists have identified a few features of bacterial cells that can be strategically exploited to make polymers inherently antimicrobial. One of these is represented by the introduction of cationic charges that act by killing or deactivating bacteria by interaction with the negatively charged parts of their cell envelope (lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycan, and membrane lipids).

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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) relies on the combined action of a photosensitizer (PS), light at an appropriate wavelength, and oxygen, to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that lead to cell death. However, this therapeutic modality presents some limitations, such as the poor water solubility of PSs and their limited selectivity. To overcome these problems, research has exploited nanoparticles (NPs).

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In this work, two compounds belonging to the BODIPY family, and previously investigated for their photosensitizing properties, have been bound to the amino-pendant groups of three random copolymers, with different amounts of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) in the backbone. The P(MMA--DMAEMA) copolymers have inherently bactericidal activity, due to the amino groups of DMAEMA and to the quaternized nitrogens bounded to BODIPY. Systems consisting of filter paper discs coated with copolymers conjugated to BODIPY were tested on two model microorganisms, () and ().

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-zirconocene complexes are widely employed as precatalysts for olefin polymerization. Their synthesis generally leads to mixtures of their and isomers, whose separation is often problematic. In this contribution, we report on the synthesis of a novel silyl-bridged bis(indenyl)-based metallocene, and on the separation of its and isomers by simple recrystallization from toluene.

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We have structurally characterized a number of lithiated calix[4]arenes, where the bridge in the calix[4]arene is thia (-S-, LH), sulfinyl (-SO-, LH), sulfonyl (-SO-, LH), dimethyleneoxa (-CHOCH-, LH) or methylene (-CH-, LH). In the case of LH, interaction with LiOBu led to the isolation of the complex [Li(L)(THF)]·5THF (1·5THF), whilst similar interaction of LH led to the isolation of [Li(LH)(THF)]·5(THF) (2·5THF). Interestingly, the mixed sulfinyl/sulfonyl complexes [Li(calix[4]arene(SO)(SO)(SO))(THF)]·8(THF) (3·8THF) and [LiNa(LH)(THF)]·7.

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Interaction of [Sc(OR)3] (R = iPr or triflate) with p-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes, where n = 4, 6, or 8, affords a number of intriguing structural motifs, which are relatively non-toxic (cytotoxicity evaluated against cell lines HCT116 and HT-29) and a number were capable of the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclohexene oxide.

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Bio-based plastics were designed to replace single-use plastics and to cause less post-consumer environmental damage. This paper assesses the weathering of four bio-based polymers created by ring opening polymerization (ROP) promoted by a previously reported Ti-based catalyst, to detect any problems before production was scaled up. Samples were aged in seawater to identify degradation products and monitor structural changes.

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Interaction of p-tert-butylcalix[6]areneH6, L1H6, with [TiCl4] afforded the complex [Ti2Cl3(MeCN)2(OH2)(L1H)][Ti2Cl3(MeCN)3(L1H)]·4.5MeCN (1·4.5MeCN), in which two pseudo-octahedral titanium centres are bound to one calix[6]arene.

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A series of organoaluminium imino-amido complexes of the type {[ArNC(Me2)C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr]AlMe2} (Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3 (1), Ar = 2,6-Et2C6H3 (2); Ar = 2,6-Me2C6H3 (3) have been prepared via reaction of AlR3 and the respective α-diimine. Similar reaction of the bis(α-diimine) [ArN[double bond, length as m-dash]C(Me)C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]N-]2 (Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3) with AlMe3 afforded the bimetallic complex [ArN-C(Me)2C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAlMe2]2 (4), whilst reaction of the acetyl-imino compound [O[double bond, length as m-dash]C(Me)C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr] (Ar = 2,6-Et2C6H3) with AlMe3 afforded the bimetallic complex {[OCMe2CH(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr]AlMe2}2 (5). In related organozinc chemistry, we have isolated {[ArNC(Me)(Et)C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr]ZnEt} (Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3, 6) and the trinuclear complex {[ArN[double bond, length as m-dash]C(Me)COCHCO(Me)C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr][OCH(Me)C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr](ZnEt)3} (Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3, 7) from reactions of ZnEt2 with ArN[double bond, length as m-dash]C(Me)C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr or [O[double bond, length as m-dash]C(Me)C(Me)[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr], respectively.

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Carbene transition-metal complexes have become a prevalent family of catalysts enabling numerous organic transformations. Their facile synthetic access is a matter of great importance. To this end, the Cu(I) -NHC transfer methodology has emerged as a powerful alternative presenting attractive advantages over other methods.

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Homo- and heteroleptic bis-NHC copper(I) complexes have been efficiently used as carbene transfer reagents to Au and Pd. The simple and straightforward procedure allows for the synthesis of well-known gold complexes as well as novel cationic bis-NHC Pd(II) species.

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The N-methylation of amines using CO2 and PhSiH3 as source of CH3 was efficiently performed using a N-heterocyclic carbene copper(i) complex. The methodology was found compatible with aromatic and aliphatic primary and secondary amines. Synthetic and computational studies have been carried out to support the proposed reaction mechanism for this transformation.

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A one-pot procedure for the synthesis of [Cu(X)(NHC)] (X = Cl, Br, I) is reported. The reaction is applicable to a wide range of saturated and unsaturated NHC ligands, is scalable and proceeds under mild conditions using technical grade solvents in air.

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