Inorganic Chemistry Research
Volume:8 Issue: 1, Jun 2024

In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were synthesized using pistachio skin extract in the role of a green and eco-friendly approach. The synthesized ZnONPs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The results confirmed the successful synthesis of ZnONPs with a crystalline structure with spherical morphology. The UV-Visible spectroscopy analysis showed a band gap energy of 3.17 eV for the ZnONPs. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized ZnONPs was evaluated for the degradation of some organic dyes, including methylene blue, acid blue, rhodamine B, and eosin Y. The results showed that ZnONPs show effective photocatalytic degradation of the dyes under UV radiation as well as visible radiation with good to excellent efficiency. Overall, the pistachio skin extract-mediated ZnONPs showed promising photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic dyes, highlighting their potential application in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. This green synthesis approach offers a sustainable and cost-effective method for producing of ZnONPs with enhanced photocatalytic properties.

A new three-dimensional samarium(III) coordination polymer, {[Sm(μ2-BTEC)(H2O)4](H2en)0.5.2H2O}n (1) (BTEC4- is 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylicylate and H2en2+ is ethylenediammonium), was prepared from the reaction of SmCl3.6H2O and [H2en]2[BCT].2H2O in water and in an ice bath. Suitable crystals of this complex for crystal structure determination were obtained by slow evaporation of the produced colorless solution at room temperature. Complex 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The X-ray crystallography analysis shows that this compound is a three-dimensional polymer and the Sm(III) cation is nine-coordinated in a distorted tri-capped trigonal prismatic configuration by nine O atoms from four BTEC anions and four coordinated water molecules. Also, the thermal stability of 1 was studied by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses.

A new complex with the formula [NiL2] (a) was synthesized. L is Schiff base ligand and HL is identified as N-(2-hydroxy-1-naphthylidene)-2-methyl aniline. The compound was characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, elemental analysis, and crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The X-ray diffraction results confirmed that [NiL2] (a) adopts a regular square-planar geometry. The interactions of complex (a) with FS-DNA (salmon sperm DNA) have been studied using UV–Vis, fluorescence spectroscopies and Gel electrophoresis. The binding constant (Kb), and the apparent bio molecular quenching constant (kq) for FS-DNA were obtained through Stern–Volmer equation. Thermodynamic parameters data (∆H°, ΔS° and ΔG°) showed that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions have an important function in the interaction of the DNA–Ni(II) complex and the binding mode is the groove binding. This dual finding highlights the complex's nuanced influence on DNA structure and emphasizes the importance of using multiple analytical techniques to fully understand metal-DNA interactions.

New complexes, [LCuX2] (X = Br or Cl) and [LZnCl2], incorporating the N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)butan-2-amine ligand (L), were successfully synthesized and characterized. The complexes were obtained in high yield through a straightforward reaction between the ligand and metal halide. Detailed characterization using FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the density functional theory (DFT) calculation confirmed the coordination of ligand to the copper(II) center and revealed distorted square planar geometry of the complexes. [LCuBr2] complex exhibited a notable solvatochromic effect, with its solution changing color from green to blue-green depending on the polarity of the solvent. This phenomenon was attributed to solvent molecules interacting with the vacant axial sites of the copper center along with the structural changes. Additionally, the complex displayed halochromism in aqueous solution, where the d-d transition band shifted to higher energy with increasing pH due to the deprotonation of the secondary amine group of the ligand.Furthermore, the complex demonstrated thermochromism in high-boiling-point solvents such as DMSO and DMF. Upon heating, the solution changed color from green to blue, likely due to substituting coordinated bromide/chloride with solvent molecules. This process was reversible upon cooling, highlighting the thermoresponsive nature of the complex. Moreover, the complex exhibited selective ionochromic behavior towards the azide anion (N3-), displaying a distinct color change in the presence of other pseudo-halide anions. This suggests potential applications as a sensor for this specific anion.

In this research, a novel magnetic nanocomposite adsorbent was created using a hybrid of two iron-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), MIL-53(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe), decorated with magnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles. The resulting composite, MIL-53(Fe)@MIL-101(Fe)/CoFe2O4, was thoroughly characterized through various techniques including FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, EDX, VSM, UV-vis spectroscopy, zeta potential, and BET surface area measurements. This nanocomposite showed promising results as an adsorbent for organic dyes, specifically methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solutions. The use of this nanocomposite as an adsorbent in aqueous solutions showed great efficacy in removing organic dyes such as methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO). The nanocomposite achieved rapid and complete adsorption of MO within 30 seconds and MB within 10 minutes. The hybrid exhibited the enhanced adsorption compared to single MOFs due to the synergistic effects between the two materials. Several factors were examined, such as dye concentration, pH, temperature, ionic strength, and the amount of adsorbent used. Thermodynamic analysis revealed an endothermic and spontaneous process. It maintained its structure and proved to be stable and reusable, making it an ideal choice for removing dyes from contaminated water. Additionally, the magnetic properties of the nanocomposite allowed for easy separation and recovery from the solution.

In this research, the ability of a ruthenium(III) unsymmetrical Schiff base complex, Ru(salenac)Cl in which H2salenac = salicylideneiminoethyliminopentane-2-one, immobilized on the surface of aminopropyl-functionalized silica-coated γ-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles, was examined in the oxidation of alcohols using 30% H2O2 as a green oxidant. This heterogeneous γ-Fe2O3@SiO2@APTES@Ru(salenac)Cl nanocatalyst exhibited high activity and selectivity in the oxidation of various primary and secondary alcohols, producing high to excellent yields of the equivalent aldehydes and ketones in acetonitrile at 50 °C. Also, the catalyst could be quickly recovered using an external magnet and reused six times without considerable loss in its catalytic efficiency. The structure of the recovered catalyst was also studied by FT-IR, ICP, and VSM techniques, and it was shown that the structure of the catalyst did not change significantly after recovery.

In this work, a novel light-active Ag catalyst was prepared through decorating graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets with silver nanoparticles synthesized using the green method of Rheum neyshabourense sp, denoted as g-C3N4@Ag, and was employed for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RB) dye under visible-light irradiation. Ag nanoparticles are crucial in facilitating the efficient separation of photogenerated charges and exhibiting high absorption in the visible-light region. More surprisingly, Ag/ g-C3N4 does surpass by up to 4 times the behavior reached with bare g-CN. The experimental findings indicated that the optimal degradation of Rhodamine B dye occurred after 60 minutes when using a concentration of 40 mg L−1 Rhodamine B and a concentration of 0.07 g L−1 Ag/ g-C3N4, under a pH of 4. This research offers valuable insights into the advancement of cost-effective the Green Method of Plant Extract.

The production of alumina from nepheline syenite via lime sintering generates significant waste due to the presence of silica. In this study, a carbothermal reduction process was proposed to simultaneously produce alumina and ferrosilicon, optimizing conditions using response surface methodology and the Box-Behnken design. The maximum conversion of silica to ferrosilicon was achieved at 1125°C with a soaking time of 14.86 minutes, a graphite-to-nepheline syenite mass ratio of 0.53, and a ferric oxide-to-nepheline syenite mass ratio of 0.72. The ferrosilicon produced was separated magnetically, leaving alumina, sodium, and potassium in the nonmagnetic fraction with efficiencies of 90.85%, 91.98%, and 92.01%, respectively. Following leaching, the overall extraction efficiencies were 77.1% for alumina, 68.4% for sodium, and 82.6% for potassium. This process provides a cleaner, more efficient alternative to lime sintering by minimizing waste and producing a valuable ferrosilicon by-product for industrial applications.

The acetalization of glycerol with acetone was investigated using a series of highly efficient and effective lanthanide-based nano-porous coordination polymers (Ln-based nano PCPs) as catalysts. The catalysts, namely Tb(BTC)(H2O).(DMF)1.1 (1), Dy(BTC)(H2O).(DMF)1.1 (2), and Er(BTC)(H2O).(DMF)1.1 (3), were based on BTC and Ln3+, and were optimized under varying reaction times, temperatures, catalyst/glycerol (Catal/Gly) molar ratios, and glycerol/acetone (Gly/Ace) molar ratios. The reusability of the catalysts was also thoroughly studied for this reaction.

Efficient epoxidation of olefins catalyzed by a new metalloporphyrin-Wells-Dawson polyoxotungstates hybrid material is reported. First, the lacunary α2-[P2W17O61]10- was functionalized with 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane and then, the hybrid compound was prepared through addition of tetra(4-N-pyridyl)porphyrinatomanganese(III) acetate to this functionalized POM. The hybrid catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H and 31P-NMR spectroscopic methods and cyclic voltammetry. The catalyst was applied for alkene epoxidation with NaIO4 in CH3CN/H2O mixture at room temperature. The effect of reaction parameters and reusability of the hybrid catalyst were also investigated.

In this study, molybdenum Schiff base complex was immobilized on a modified graphene oxide with 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane [GO@MoSB]. The synthesized heterogeneous catalyst was characterized using FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and EDAX techniques. Moreover, the catalytic activity of Go@MoSB was evaluated in the oxidation of benzyl alcohols, utilizing tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant in toluene under reflux conditions. The catalyst showed high activity and oxidative products were obtained at short time in high yields (up to 85%). Notably, the catalyst demonstrated excellent reusability, retaining most of its activity after five cycles.

Semiconductor photocatalysts can effectively break down organic dye pollution. The degradation of Congo red and methylene blue by photocatalysis using a perovskite Sr2TiO4 nano-photocatalyst was investigated in this work. The nanostructure preparation method and template on photocatalytic efficiency were investigated. Results showed a correspondence of efficiency and procedure-based morphology. The catalyst was then examined using XRD, BET, FT-IR, SEM, and TGA/DTA. Under UV light irradiation, the Sr2TiO4 nanoparticle's photocatalytic activity was assessed. At room temperature, 5 ppm of Sr2TiO4 nano-photocatalyst dose, 50.0 mg/L initial dye concentration, and 60 minutes of irradiation time, degradation efficiencies of 94.0% for Congo red and 97.0% for methylene blue were attained. This photocatalyzed reaction exhibits a first-order behavior. For Congo red and methylene blue, the degradation rate constants were investigated. The investigation demonstrated that Sr2TiO4 nano-photocatalyst offers a high potential for methylene blue and Congo red photocatalytic degradation.