Analytical applications of nano-baskets of calix[4]pyrroles

Calix[4]pyrrole is one such class which holds a great promise in the fields of sensors and their unique behavior as sensors owes to its structural flexibility. Anion binding ability of calix[4]pyrrole has been modified in a variety of ways. Introduction of electron releasing and electron withdrawing groups at the meso position or at β-pyrrolic positions leads to calix[4]pyrrole with deep cavities and fixed walls which shows increased selectivity and modified binding effects. Strapping of calix[4]pyrrole is another way to modify its structural behavior which is responsible for its binding behavior. Choice of strap could play a profound role not only in increasing the intrinsic anion binding affinity of calix[4] pyrrole, but also in modulating the receptor anion stoichiometry, thereby modifying potentially the inherent anion binding selectivity. Calix[n]pyrroles with extended cavities have also been synthesized. Such as calix[3]bipyrrole binds bromide substantially with high affinity than calix[4]pyrrole. Calix[4]pyrrole has also been used to produce anion sensors that can report the presence of anion by means of a color change. The medium effect on the complexation of calix[4]pyrrole and anion has been investigated in various solvents. Calix[4]pyrrole has also been used to increase the ionic conductivity of solid polymer electrolyte by anion complexation of the metal salt. Calix[4]pyrrole has been used to obtain optical sensors using surface plasmon resonance technique. Composite films of cellulose acetate containing calix[4]pyrrole has also been reported which has potential usage in packaging, storage and preservation. In nut shell, calix[4]pyrrole can be modified in a variety of ways to form versatile sensors which can be used in variety of ways in various areas.     

Inclusion extraction of alkali metals by emulsion liquid membranes bearing nano-baskets

Nano-assisted inclusion separation of alkali metals from basic solutions was reported by inclusion-facilitated emulsion liquid membrane process. The novelty and significance of this study is application of nano-baskets of calixarene in the selective and efficient separation of alkali metals, as both carrier and surfactant. For this aim, four derivatives of p-tert-calix[4]arene bearing different sulfonamide moieties were synthesized and their inclusion-extraction parameters were optimized. Maximum extraction was achieved using calixarene scaffold 03 (3.45 × 10^?2 M) as carrier/demulsifier, commercial kerosene as diluent in membrane, sulphonic acid (0.2 M) and ammonium carbonate (0.4 M) as the strip and the feed phases, the phase and the treat ratios of 0.8 and 0.3, mixing speed (300 rpm), and initial solute concentration (100 mg/L). The selectivity of membrane over more than ten interfering cations was examined and the results reveled that under the optimized operating conditions, the extraction percent of alkali metals was 98–99 %.     

Preparation of a Novel Stationary Phase for Separation of Ethylbenzene Hydroperoxides

The novelty of this work is preparation of a special stationary phase for selective separation of hydroperoxides. This column can be used widely in the polymerization industries where a variety of initiators (mainly the hydroperoxides) are used. In this work, the ionic liquid-based silica particles were prepared and used as a novel stationary phase for separation of ethylbenzene hydroperoxides. The mobile phase of methanol/acetonitrile from 90:10 to 70:30 (v v^?1) was used to separate three isomers of ethylbenzene hydroperoxide. A satisfactory linearity was obtained from 1.0 to 110.0 mg mL^?1 (RSD <4.0 %). The stationary phase performed stably and produced reproducible results, highlighting its potential as a separation material.     

Fractional-Order Legendre Functions and Their Application to Solve Fractional Optimal Control of Systems Described by Integro-differential Equations

In this paper, we introduce a set of functions called fractional-order Legendre functions (FLFs) to obtain the numerical solution of optimal control problems subject to the linear and nonlinear fractional integro-differential equations. We consider the properties of these functions to construct the operational matrix of the fractional integration. Also, we achieved a general formulation for operational matrix of multiplication of these functions to solve the nonlinear problems for the first time. Then by using these matrices the mentioned fractional optimal control problem is reduced to a system of algebraic equations. In fact the functions of the problem are approximated by fractional-order Legendre functions with unknown coefficients in the constraint equations, performance index and conditions. Thus, a fractional optimal control problem converts to an optimization problem, which can then be solved numerically. The convergence of the method is discussed and finally, some numerical examples are presented to show the efficiency and accuracy of the method.     

1-Butyl-2-methylpipyridinium iodide ([BMPPY]I): novel ionic liquid for the synthesis of 6-hydroxy-6-(1H-indol-3-yl)indolo[2,1-b]quinazolin-12(6H)-ones under green solvent-free conditions

Research on Chemical Intermediates - In this article we reported preparation of 1-butyl-2-methylpipyridinium iodide ([BMPPY]I), as a novel ionic liquid (IL) through simple procedure. This newly...     

Simultaneous Spectrophotometric Determination of Aluminum and Iron in Micellar Media by Using the H‐Point Standard Addition Method

A very simple spectrophotometric method for simultaneous determination of aluminum(III) and iron(III) based on formation of their complexes with pyrocatechol violet (PCV) in micellar media, using the H‐point standard addition method (HPSAM), is described. In micellar media, the metal complexes of Al‐PCV and Fe‐PCV are formed very fast. Formation of both of the complexes was complete within 5 min at pH 8.5. The linear ranges for aluminum and iron were 0.05‐2.50 and 0.10‐4.00 μg mL^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for the simultaneous determination 0.40 μg mL^?1 of Al(III) and 0.20 μg mL^?1 of Fe(III) were 3.24% and 4.22%, respectively. Interference effects of common anions and cations were studied. The method was applied to simultaneous determination of Al(III) and Fe(III) in standard reference material and alloy samples.     

Switchable Hydrophilicity Solvent-Based Homogenous Liquid–Liquid Microextraction (SHS-HLLME) Combined with GC-FID for the Quantification of Methadone and Tramadol

In this work, a new method based on homogeneous liquid-phase microextraction was developed for the determination of methadone and tramadol. Dipropylamine was used as extraction solvent with switchable hydrophilicity that can be miscible/immiscible upon the addition or removal of CO₂ as a reagent. The effects of operational parameters of the extraction such as volume of acceptor phase, volume of donor phase, pH of donor phase, and ionic strength of solution were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the preconcentration factors, the detection limits and the linearity of the method were achieved in the ranges of 135–138, 1.2 and 4–1000 µg L^?1, respectively. Finally, the proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of methadone and tramadol in urine samples. In urine sample, the preconcentration factors were 118 and 122 for methadone and tramadol, respectively. Additionally, calibration curves were found to be linear in the concentration range of 8–1000 µg L^?1 with the r² values better than 0.998. In addition, limits of detection and quantification were 2.4 and 8 µg L^?1, respectively, for both analytes.     

Preparation and characterization of curcumin loaded gold/graphene oxide nanocomposite for potential breast cancer therapy

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Graphene oxide (GO) and gold/graphene oxide (Au/GO) nanocomposites were fabricated through a facile chemical route and their application as excellent...