Selective recognition and extraction of arsenate by a urea-functionalized tripodal receptor from competitive aqueous media.

A second-generation hydrogen bond donor (HBD) anion receptor with an inner amide cavity and an outer urea cavity can selectively and efficiently extract arsenate (AsO43-) from water in the presence of competitive oxoanions and halides. The X-ray structure showed encapsulation of AsO43- in a π-stacked dimeric capsular assembly of the receptor, the first crystallography-based example of pentavalent AsO43- trianion recognition by a HBD receptor.

Correction: A ferrocene functionalized Schiff base containing Cu(II) complex: synthesis, characterization and parts-per-million level catalysis for azide alkyne cycloaddition.

Correction for 'A ferrocene functionalized Schiff base containing Cu(ii) complex: synthesis, characterization and parts-per-million level catalysis for azide alkyne cycloaddition' by Firdaus Rahaman Gayen et al., Dalton Trans., 2020, 49, 6578-6586, DOI: 10.1039/d0dt00915f.

Blue-emitting fluorescent carbon quantum dots from waste biomass sources and their application in fluoride ion detection in water.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are among the most feasible allotropes of carbon-based nanomaterials with unique characteristics of photoluminescence, bio-compatibility, and high stability. Herein, a green and eco-friendly approach has been propagated for the fabrication of CQDs from different biomass waste materials including sugarcane bagasse (SCB), garlic peels (GP), and taro peels (TP) by using ultrasonic-assisted wet-chemical-oxidation method. This top-down approach involves oxidation of the carbonized biomass wastes by H2O2. Another purpose of our work is to make a comparative study on the three CQDs produced from the three different biomass wastes. The properties of the fabricated CQDs were evaluated by using High Resolution-Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The CQDs showed the characteristic photo-physical behaviours as evident from the UV-visible and fluorescence (FL) spectroscopic analyses. The CQDs are found to be highly water soluble possessing strong blue-fluorescence under UV light with excellent quantum yield around 4-27%. The comparative study on the different physico-chemical properties of the three wastes biomass-derived CQDs are also discussed in the paper. The FL properties of CQDs derived from taro peels waste shows the best fluorescence quantum yield among the three and keeping in view of this, an on-off-on fluorescence nanoprobe was designed by using taro peels-derived CQDs (i.e. T-CQDs) and Eu3+ ion. The FL emission of T-CQDs was observed to be significantly quenched by Eu3+ leading to the formation of a CQDs-Eu3+ nanoprobe. The CQDs-Eu3+ nanoprobe was promisingly used for sensing of fluoride ions in water.

Catalytic conversion of high-GWP gases N2O and CH4 to syngas (H2 + CO) on SiO2@Ni-Cr layered nano-oxide-coated monolithic catalyst.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are 2D nano-sheets where different M2+ and M3+ metal cations are uniformly distributed in Mg(OH)2 brucite-like sheets and various charge-compensating anions (An-) are present in their interlayer spaces. This work includes preparation of different SiO2@Ni/Cr mixed-metal layered nano-oxide-type catalysts by the calcination of SiO2@Ni-Cr LDH nano-composite-based alcogel coated over a honeycomb monolithic substrate and their use as a catalytic device for the study of catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) of CH4 both in the presence of O2 and in the presence of N2O under atmospheric pressure at different temperatures not exceeding 500 °C to study the effect of N2O on the CPO of CH4. It was observed that in the presence of O2 the yield of syngas (H2 + CO) did not exceed 90% whereas in the presence of N2O about 99.9% syngas (H2 + CO) was observed. The selectivity towards syngas production reached a maximum value when an optimal reaction condition was maintained at 1:1 CH4:N2O mol ratio with a temperature of 500 °C. XPS analysis showed that a NiO-type compound formed on the decomposition of the LDH component after H2 treatment was reduced to disperse Ni0, which acted as an active catalytic species. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of catalytic partial oxidation of CH4 in the presence of N2O by SiO2@Ni-Cr-LDH-based mixed-metal nano-oxide.

A ferrocene functionalized Schiff base containing Cu(ii) complex: synthesis, characterization and parts-per-million level catalysis for azide alkyne cycloaddition.

Atom economy is one of the major factors in developing catalysis chemistry. Using the minimum amount of catalyst to obtain the maximum product yield is of the utmost priority in catalysis, which drives us to use parts-per-million (ppm) levels of catalyst loadings in syntheses. In this context, a new ferrocene functionalized Schiff base and its copper(ii) complex have been synthesized and characterized. This Cu(ii) complex is employed as a catalyst for popular 'click chemistry', where 1,2,3-triazoles are the end product. As low as 5 ppm catalyst loading is enough to produce gram scale product, and highest turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) values of 140 000 and 70 000 h-1 are achieved, respectively. Furthermore, this highly efficient protocol has been successfully applied to the preparation of diverse functionalized materials with pharmaceutical, labelling and supramolecular properties.

Harmful weed to prospective adsorbent: low-temperature-carbonized Ipomoea carnea stem carbon coated with aluminum oxyhydroxide nanoparticles for defluoridation.

Gainful utilization of stems of the pernicious weed, Ipomoea carnea, to prepare good quality carbon and its modification with aluminum oxyhydroxide (AlOOH) nanoparticles for efficient defluoridation from contaminated drinking water is discussed in this paper. Surface functional groups are enhanced by functionalization of the carbons under acid treatment which acted as anchor to the AlOOH nanoparticles. Formation of AlOOH particles over the carbon surface is confirmed from X-ray diffractometry analysis. The AlOOH-carbon nanocomposite showed higher fluoride removal capacity than the neat AlOOH nanoparticles with a maximum removal capacity in the range of 46.55-53.71 mg g-1. Reaction kinetics and isotherm studies showed that fluoride adsorption is quite feasible on the adsorbent surface. The column study showed the possibility of the adsorbent for large-scale applications. The adsorbent can be regenerated by a mild treatment with 0.1 N NaOH solutions. The adsorbent is highly capable for defluoridation from synthetic as well as fluoride-contaminated natural water and, thus, can be used as an alternative for commercial defluoridation adsorbents. The use of Ipomoea carnea for defluoridation can be a way of producing low-cost adsorbent material, and the use for such purposes may also be helpful to control the weed up to a good extent.

Biocompatible nanocomposite of carboxymethyl cellulose and functionalized carbon-norfloxacin intercalated layered double hydroxides.

In recent years, the development of systems with progressive drug release properties, which is an effective technique for the use of drugs, has aroused great interest in the field of controlled release formulations. In this work, hybrid materials containing citric acid cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and norfloxacin (NOR) intercalated layered double hydroxide (LDH) deposited over the surface of functionalized carbon (AC) were prepared. The synthesized CMC@AC-LDHNOR nanohybrids were characterized using different techniques and in vitro NOR release behaviors were investigated in phosphate buffer saline, pH 7.4 at 37 °C. On the basis of the release profiles, it was found that NOR release was delayed when it was intercalated in AC-LDH which in presence of modified CMC decreases further. The nanohybrids indicated enhancement of antibacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The MTT assay showed their non-toxic behavior against ovarian normal epithelial and cancer cells, suggesting their potential use as drug carriers.