Search results for " Inorganic"
showing 10 items of 796 documents
B‐DNA structure and stability: the role of nucleotide composition and order
2022
Abstract We have quantum chemically analyzed the influence of nucleotide composition and sequence (that is, order) on the stability of double‐stranded B‐DNA triplets in aqueous solution. To this end, we have investigated the structure and bonding of all 32 possible DNA duplexes with Watson–Crick base pairing, using dispersion‐corrected DFT at the BLYP‐D3(BJ)/TZ2P level and COSMO for simulating aqueous solvation. We find enhanced stabilities for duplexes possessing a higher GC base pair content. Our activation strain analyses unexpectedly identify the loss of stacking interactions within individual strands as a destabilizing factor in the duplex formation, in addition to the better‐known eff…
Synthesis, structural, and thermal characterization of a new binuclear copper(II) chelate complex bearing an amine-hardener for epoxy resins
2016
A new di(μ-carbonato)bis[aqua(diethylenetriamine)copper(II)] hexahydrate complex, [{Cu(NH(C2H4NH2)2)(H2O)(μ-CO3)}2]⋅6H2O (1), was synthesized by direct interaction of malachite with diethylenetriamine (dien). The crystals of 1 were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and IR spectra, as well as structurally characterized. Compound 1 consists of [{Cu(dien)(H2O)(μ-CO3)}2] discrete units whose CO32– anions play the role of bridging ligands combining two Cu(II) chelate cores into a centrosymmetric dimer. The elongated octahedral environment of Cu2+ consists of three nitrogens of dien and an oxygen from CO32– at the base of the bipyramid; the two apical positions of such polyhedron are occu…
Thermal and Mechanical Characterization of Yarn Samples from Flemish Tapestry of the Sixteenth Century
2022
We propose a physico-chemical approach for theharacterization of the conservation condition of yarns from a Flemish tapestry of the sixteenth century. The aging effect on the yarns’ performance was evaluated by comparison with commercial materials. Water uptake experiments highlighted the aptitude of yarns toward water sorption and their increased hydrophilicity upon aging. Thermogravimetric analysis can be considered a fast approach for the fiber identification and assessment on the material life-time. The dynamic mechanical analysis provided direct evidence on the yarns, conservation state and their performance under different mechanical stresses. The proposed characterization path can be…
Thermoelectrics: From history, a window to the future
2019
Thermoelectricity offers a sustainable path to recover and convert waste heat into readily available electric energy, and has been studied for more than two centuries. From the controversy between Galvani and Volta on the Animal Electricity, dating back to the end of the XVIII century and anticipating Seebeck’s observations, the understanding of the physical mechanisms evolved along with the development of the technology. In the XIX century Ørsted clarified some of the earliest observations of the thermoelectric phenomenon and proposed the first thermoelectric pile, while it was only after the studies on thermodynamics by Thomson, and Rayleigh’s suggestion to exploit the Seebeck effect for …
Mesoporous silica microparticles gated with a bulky azo derivative for the controlled release of dyes/drugs in colon.
2018
[EN] Mesoporous silica microparticles were prepared, loaded with the dye safranin O (M-Saf) or with the drug budesonide (M-Bud) and capped by the grafting of a bulky azo derivative. Cargo release from M-Saf at different pH values (mimicking those found in the gastrointestinal tract) in the absence or presence of sodium dithionite (a reducing agent mimicking azoreductase enzyme present in the colon) was tested. Negligible safranin O release was observed at pH 6.8 and 4.5, whereas a moderate delivery at pH 1.2 was noted and attributed to the hydrolysis of the urea bond that linked the azo derivative onto the external surface of the inorganic scaffold. Moreover, a marked release was observed w…
Isotope distribution of dissolved carbonate species in southeastern coastal aquifers of Sicily (Italy)
2007
Concentrations of major ions and the δ13C composition of dissolved inorganic carbon in groundwater and submarine groundwater discharges in the area between Siracusa and Ragusa provinces, southeastern Sicily, representing coastal carbonate aquifers, are presented and discussed. Most of groundwater analysed belongs to calcium bicarbonate type, in agreement with the geological nature of carbonate host rocks. Carbonate groundwater acquires, besides the dissolution of carbonate minerals, dissolved carbon (and the relative isotopic composition) from the atmosphere and from soil biological activity. In fact, δ13C values and total dissolved inorganic carbon contents show that both these sources con…
Diorganotin(IV) complexes ofD-galacturonic acid: solid-state and solution-phase structural study
2003
Three diorganotin(IV) complexes of D-galacturonic acid (H2GalA; R = Me, n-Bu, Ph), two of which are new derivatives (R = Me, Ph), have been synthesized and their solid-state and solution-phase investigated by IR, Mossbauer, 1H, 13C and 119Sn NMR spectroscopy. The FTIR data suggest that H2GalA, in the dialkyltin derivatives, behaves as a dianionic ligand, coordinating the tin(IV) atom through an ester-type carboxylate and deprotonated alcoholic hydroxo groups, whereas a bridging carboxylate occurs in the diphenyltin(IV) complex. Octahedral and trigonal bipyramidal local geometries on tin(IV) atoms are proposed for dialkyltin(IV)GalA and diphenyltin(IV)GalA complexes respectively on the basis…
Synthesis, characterization and conformational analysis of chloro-bis(glycylglycinate)germanium(IV) chloride
2011
Chloro-bis(glycylglycinate)germanium(IV) chloride, [Cl(glygly)2Ge]Cl, was synthesized and characterized in the solid state by elemental analysis, thermogravimetry and infrared spectroscopy. Solution studies were also performed by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO-d6) and by electric conductivity. The structural determination of the complex and the interpretation of the spectroscopic results were performed by employing an integrated computational approach, based on a systematic conformational search analysis on the [Cl(glygly)2Ge]+ ion performed by the Systematic Conformational Search Algorithm (SCSA) code, working at the hybrid B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. The combination of experime…
Switching from Aromatase Inhibitors to Dual Targeting Flavonoid-Based Compounds for Breast Cancer Treatment
2023
Despite the significant outcomes attained by scientific research, breast cancer (BC) still represents the second leading cause of death in women. Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) BC accounts for the majority of diagnosed BCs, highlighting the disruption of estrogenic signalling as target for first-line treatment. This goal is presently pursued by inhibiting aromatase (AR) enzyme or by modulating Estrogen Receptor (ER) α. An appealing strategy for fighting BC and reducing side effects and resistance issues may lie in the design of multifunctional compounds able to simultaneously target AR and ER. In this paper, previously reported flavonoid-related potent AR inhibitors were suitably modified…
HYDROCARBONS REMOVAL FROM BILGE WATER BY ADSORPTION ONTO ACTIVATED BIOCHAR FROM POSIDONIA OCEANICA
2019
The normal operations carried out on the boats during navigation generate waste waters such as oily bilge water. The latter is the aqueous mixture of potential pollutants of different origins and types: oily fluids, lubricants and greases, cleaning fluids and other wastes that accumulate in the lower part of the vessel [1,2]. The current legislation provides that they can be discharge directly into the sea if the concentrations of some components are below the expected limits. In particular, with regard to oil / hydrocarbons contamination, the current regulatory limit is 15 mg L-1 of total hydrocarbons. The present work starts from a public/private partnership funded by a grant of the Minis…