Determination of the Concentration of Silver Atoms in Hydrosol Nanoparticles.

In this work, we propose a new method for determining the concentration of silver atoms in hydrosols of nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized with various capping agents. The proposed method is based on the determination of IBT absorption in the UV region (a broad band with a weakly pronounced shoulder at ~250 nm). To determine the extinction coefficient at 250 nm, we synthesized silver nanoparticles with average sizes of 5, 10, and 25 nm, respectively. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, HRTEM, electron diffraction, XRD, DLS, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. It has been shown that the absorption characteristics of spherical NPs are not significantly influenced by the hydrosol preparation method and the type of stabilizer used. For particles with a size of 5-25 nm, the molar extinction coefficient of Ag0 atoms was found to be equal to 3500 ± 100 L mol-1 cm-1 at a wavelength of 250 nm. The results of the theoretical calculations of the molar extinction coefficients for spherical nanoparticles are in good agreement with the experimental values. ICP-MS analysis confirmed the applicability of this method in the concentration range of 5 × 10-7-1 × 10-4 mol L-1.

Photochemical Synthesis of Silver Hydrosol Stabilized by Carbonate Ions and Study of Its Bactericidal Impact on Escherichia coli: Direct and Indirect Effects.

The great attention paid to silver nanoparticles is largely related to their antibacterial and antiviral effects and their possible use as efficient biocidal agents. Silver nanoparticles are being widely introduced into various areas of life, including industry, medicine, and agriculture. This leads to their spreading and entering the environment, which generates the potential risk of toxic effect on humans and other biological organisms. Proposed paper describes the preparation of silver hydrosols containing spherical metal nanoparticles by photochemical reduction of Ag+ ions with oxalate ions. In deaerated solutions, this gives ~10 nm particles, while in aerated solutions, ~20 nm particles with inclusion of the oxide Ag2O are obtained. Nanoparticles inhibit the bacterium Escherichia coli and suppress the cell growth at concentrations of ~1 × 10-6-1 × 10-4 mol L-1. Silver particles cause the loss of pili and deformation and destruction of cell membranes. A mechanism of antibacterial action was proposed, taking into account indirect suppressing action of Ag+ ions released upon the oxidative metal dissolution and direct (contact) action of nanoparticles on bacterial cells, resulting in a change in the shape and destruction of the bacteria.

Acute Toxicity of Cu-MOF Nanoparticles (nanoHKUST-1) towards Embryos and Adult Zebrafish.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) demonstrate unique properties, which are prospective for drug delivery, catalysis, and gas separation, but their biomedical applications might be limited due to their obscure interactions with the environment and humans. It is important to understand their toxic effect on nature before their wide practical application. In this study, HKUST-1 nanoparticles (Cu-nanoMOF, Cu3(btc)2, btc = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) were synthesized by the microwave (MW)-assisted ionothermal method and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The embryotoxicity and acute toxicity of HKUST-1 towards embryos and adult zebrafish were investigated. To gain a better understanding of the effects of Cu-MOF particles towards Danio rerio (D. rerio) embryos were exposed to HKUST-1 nanoparticles (NPs) and Cu2+ ions (CuSO4). Cu2+ ions showed a higher toxic effect towards fish compared with Cu-MOF NPs for D. rerio. Both forms of fish were sensitive to the presence of HKUST-1 NPs. Estimated LC50 values were 2.132 mg/L and 1.500 mg/L for zebrafish embryos and adults, respectively. During 96 h of exposure, the release of copper ions in a stock solution and accumulation of copper after 96 h were measured in the internal organs of adult fishes. Uptake examination of the major internal organs did not show any concentration dependency. An increase in the number of copper ions in the test medium was found on the first day of exposure. Toxicity was largely restricted to copper release from HKUST-1 nanomaterials structure into solution.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Water-Dispersible Humate-Coated Magnetite Nanoparticles: Relation of Coating Process Parameters to the Properties of Nanoparticles.

Nowadays, there is a demand in the production of nontoxic multifunctional magnetic materials possessing both high colloidal stability in water solutions and high magnetization. In this work, a series of water-dispersible natural humate-polyanion coated superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles has been synthesized via microwave-assisted synthesis without the use of inert atmosphere. An impact of a biocompatible humate-anion as a coating agent on the structural and physical properties of nanoparticles has been established. The injection of humate-polyanion at various synthesis stages leads to differences in the physical properties of the obtained nanomaterials. Depending on the synthesis protocol, nanoparticles are characterized by improved monodispersity, smaller crystallite and grain size (up to 8.2 nm), a shift in the point of zero charge (6.4 pH), enhanced colloidal stability in model solutions, and enhanced magnetization (80 emu g-1).

Syntheses and crystal structures of new aurate salts of adenine or guanine nucleobases.

Two new gold(III) complexes with adenine or guanine nitrogenous bases as counter-cations were synthesized. These are 6-amino-7H-purine-1,9-diium tetrachloridogold(III) chloride monohydrate, (C5H7N5)[AuCl4]Cl·H2O, 1, and 2-amino-6-oxo-6,7-dihydro-1H-purin-9-ium tetrachloridogold(III) hemihydrate, (C5H6N5O)[AuCl4]·0.5H2O, 2. Their crystal structures were studied using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. The arrangement of species in the studied crystal structures implies π-stacking interactions, as well as concomitant C-H...π interactions, hydrogen bonds and other types of noncovalent interactions, which were studied qualitatively and quantitatively using the method of molecular Voronoi-Dirichlet polyhedra. The variation of the nitrogenous base from adenine to guanine results in evident differences in the packing of the species in the crystals of 1 and 2. The splitting and shifting of bands in the FT-IR spectra of the title compounds reveals several features representative of noncovalent interactions in their crystal structures.

Adsorption of ozone and plasmonic properties of gold hydrosol: the effect of the nanoparticle size.

The impact of the size of gold nanoparticles on the magnitude of the bathochromic shift of their plasmon resonance peak upon ozone adsorption is revealed and analyzed. Namely, the plasmon band position of 7, 10, 14 and 32 nm nanoparticles shifts toward longer wavelengths by 51, 35, 23 and 9 nm respectively, i.e. the smaller the nanoparticles, the greater the shift of the band. Thus, the sensor efficiency of gold hydrosol increases with a decrease in the nanoparticle size. The shift of the Fermi level is a linear function of the inverse radius of nanoparticles. The observed alterations in the gold nanoparticle plasmonic properties and the Fermi level position are explained by a decrease in the electron density of nanoparticles caused by the electrons' partial binding by adsorbed O3 molecules. The insignificance of oxygen and nitrous oxide effects on plasmonic properties of gold hydrosol is observed.