Simple Reaction Research Articles

In situ reconstructed prism-like CuO on copper foam assisted by fumaric acid for an enhanced electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction.

The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) is considered as a promising strategy for addressing environmental pollution and sustainable energy development. In this study, prism-like CuO loaded on copper foam (CuO/CF) was synthesized in a simple solvothermal reaction and an in situ electrochemical reconstruction process. The electrochemical reconstruction process facilitates the formation of a CuO lattice structure on copper foam derived from FU-CF generated by the reaction of copper foam and fumaric acid (H2FU) in DMF. The prism-like CuO on the surface of copper foam served as a remarkable electrocatalyst for the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction, regulating the rate of electron transport and maintaining an ordered structure. The prism-like CuO lattice structure demonstrated a faradaic efficiency of 95.66%, an ammonia yield of 0.741 mmol h-1 cm-2 and an NH3 selectivity of 97.09%. This work provides a feasible strategy for fabricating Cu-based electrocatalysts for applications in green energy and environmental fields.

Redox Status-Selective Imaging of Iron in Vegetative and Pathogenic Fungal Cells Using Fluorescent Dyes Synthesized Via Simple Chemical Reactions.

Iron plays a prominent role in various biological processes and is an essential element in almost all organisms, including plant-pathogenic fungi. As a transition element, iron occurs in two redox states, Fe2+ and Fe3+, the transition between which generates distinct reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as H2O2, OH- anions, and toxic OH· radicals. Thus, the redox status of Fe determines ROS formation in pathogen attack and plant defense and governs the outcome of pathogenic interactions. Therefore, spatially resolved visualization of Fe2+ and Fe3+ are essential to understand microbial pathogenesis. Here, we report a simple method for synthesis of the redox-state-selective dyes pyrene-tetramethyl piperidinyl oxyl (p-TEMPO) and 4-(4-methylpiperazine-1)-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (MPNBD) for fluorescence microscopy-based imaging of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions. Using these dyes, the occurrence and spatial distribution of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in vegetative and pathogenic hyphae of the hemibiotrophic maize anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum graminicola are shown. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Hydrogen generation through metal waste corrosion: a systematic investigation on old/post-consumer scrap Al6063-series alloy

In this study, aluminum-based wastes are used as energy carriers for on-demand hydrogen production through sustainable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective controlled electrochemical corrosion in aqueous solution. The electrochemical process is very effective because it (i) uses waste metals to produce hydrogen, (ii) corroborates to circular economy, (iii) produces high purity hydrogen, (iv) is based on simple hydrolysis reaction of metals in relevant solutions, (v) electricity is not required and (iv) recovers part of the chemical Gibbs energy of the electrochemical corrosion usually entirely lost in the environment. We systematically studied the generation of hydrogen from industrial waste Dust Scrap Aluminum Alloy (DSAA) belonging to Al 6063 series for the first time. The process is investigated in a novel hand-made batch reactor with a low-cost commercial body suitable to an easy scale-up. Kinetics of DSAA hydrolysis reaction was explored by measuring the variation of aluminium ion concentration at different immersion times through Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and weight loss measurements at different temperatures and NaOH catalyst concentrations. The effect of hydrolysis reaction on the composition and morphology of the metal surfaces in terms of formed oxide layers was studied in detail using Optical Polarizing Microscopy (OPM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. The criteria used to evaluate the hydrogen reactor performance were hydrogen (i) yield and (ii) production rate. The experimental results showed that a strong increase in NaOH concentration (from 0.75 to 5 M) corresponding to a slow increase in hydrolysis reaction temperature (from 38.8 to 49.9 °C) lead to an improvement in hydrogen generation rate of one order of magnitude, i.e. from 35.71 to 421.41 ml/(g∙min). Low but constant rate of hydrogen can be generated for longer times at low NaOH concentrations (0.75 M), while fast and variable hydrogen generation rate occurs at higher concentrations (5 M) in short times. In the case study of Al 6063 series waste scrap, the hydrolysis reactor parameters can be regulated to deliver hydrogen generation rates from 35.71 to 421.41 ml/(g min) according to requirements. We expect that the results presented in this work will encourage researchers to study the possible use of other metal-based and multi-material plastic/metal wastes thermodynamically prone to electrochemical corrosion process as possible source of hydrogen.Graphical

Effectively Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of BP/BiOBr 2D/2D Z-Scheme Heterojunction

Black phosphorus (BP) is a novel two-dimensional (2D) material with remarkable potential for use in environmental remediation and energy conversion. However, the practical application of BP is significantly limited by its low catalytic efficiency and poor structural stability. In this study, a Z-scheme BP/BiOBr 2D/2D heterojunction was fabricated using a simple solution reaction method at room temperature. The BP/BiOBr heterojunction exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance in the degradation of various organic pollutants and the production of hydrogen under visible light irradiation. This improved activity can be attributed to the efficient separation of photogenerated charges and the extended lifetime of charge carriers within the heterojunction. The durability and structural stability of the BiP-10 heterojunction were demonstrated through cycling tests, which maintained high photocatalytic efficiency over multiple uses. This study presents a promising approach to the development of BP-based photocatalytic materials for sustainable environmental and energy applications.

Combining Electrosorption and Electrochemical Reduction Mechanisms for Uranium Removal Using 1,2,3,4-Butane Tetracarboxylic Acid-Modified MIL-101: An In-Depth Exploration of Uranyl-Adsorbent Interactions.

Extracting uranium from nuclear wastewater is vital for environmental and human health protection. However, despite progress in uranium extraction, there remains a demand for an optimized adsorbent with improved capability, efficiency, and selectivity. To bridge this gap, 1,2,3,4-butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA)-modified MIL-101 was synthesized through a simple hydrothermal reaction between amino-modified MIL-101 (MIL-101-NH2) and BTCA. Density Functional Theory calculations validated the formation of stable coordination bonds and a hydrogen bond network, bolstering the adsorption capacity. To further enhance this capacity, the influence of an electric field on adsorption performance was investigated. Studies revealed that uranyl ion removal under an electric field involves both electrosorption and electroreduction pathways. This dual mechanism not only significantly increases the adsorption capacity from 221.1 mg g-1 to 331.4 mg g-1 but also improves the adsorption efficiency. These insights not only enhance our understanding of effective uranium removal but also foster the development of sustainable, ecofriendly technologies in the nuclear energy field.

Noval Anthraquinone Based Receptor for the Selective Detection of Acetate and Hypochlorite Ion With Relay Recognition With the applications of Real Sample Analysis and Bio-Imaging.

By a simple condensation reaction, the receptor with anthraquinone moiety was synthesized and its sensing properties were explored in the anion sensing studies via colorimetric, UV-vis studies, fluorescence studies, and DFT calculations. The synthesized receptor senses both acetate and hypochlorite ions in DMSO medium. By the addition of all anions into the receptor the colour change was observed from pink to light purple colour for acetate ion and pink to light blue for hypochlorite ion. Furthermore, on relay recognition the acetate ion, when senses the Cr3+ ion, it shows an excellent answer which changes its light purple color to pink which is same as the receptor, while no colour change was observed for other ions. Acetate and hypochlorite ions show very low detection limit with receptor as 1.8 × 10-7M and 3.8 × 10-7M respectively. By understanding the sensing mechanism, the DFT calculation was performed for both AcO- and ClO- ions. Additionally, receptors were effectively utilized in the preparation of optical sensors supported by silica gel for the detection of AcO-and ClO- ions. Real-life application was carried out by sensing AcO - in vinegar and ClO - ions in ala. Thus, the receptor proved itself as a potentially useful for real-life application and bio-imaging studies.

Tunable luminescence in Eu3+/Sm3+ doped Na2YMg2V3O12 for WLEDs and optical thermometry.

In recent years, it has become a development trend to design multi-application luminescent materials with rare earth ion doping. In this work, a series of Eu3+/Sm3+ doped self-activated Na2YMg2V3O12 (NYMVO) phosphors were synthesized through a simple high-temperature solid-state reaction method. Interestingly, due to the energy transfer (ET) from the matrix to the activators, the luminescence color of the phosphors changed from turquoise to orange-red and yellow-green under near-ultraviolet (n-UV) 365nm excitation. Based on the fluorescence intensity ratio of the matrix to Eu3+/Sm3+, the optical thermometry performances of the NYMVO:0.20Eu3+ and NYMVO:0.06Sm3+ phosphors were described. Notably, the maximum absolute sensitivity (Sa) values for NYMVO:0.20Eu3+ and NYMVO:0.06Sm3+ phosphors were 0.30K-1 and 0.032K-1, respectively. Correspondingly, the maximum relative sensitivity (Sr) values were 2.17%K-1 and 1.22%K-1, respectively. Moreover, the light-emitting devices based on NYMVO:0.20Eu3+ and NYMVO:0.06Sm3+ phosphors had excellent optical properties, with correlated color temperature (CCT) of 4552 K and 4470 K, and color-rendering index (CRI) of 84.6 and 88.5. These results suggested that the two vanadate phosphors prepared had potential applications in both warm white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) and optical thermometry.

Application of the aza-Wittig reaction for the synthesis of carboranyl Schiff bases, benzothiazoles and benzoselenazolines.

The aza-Wittig reaction was successfully applied to the synthesis of carboranyl-imines, which are difficult to obtain by classical methods. A variety of functionalized carboranyl Schiff bases was obtained proving the great scope of the methodology. All compounds were fully characterized, including the solid-state structures of six of them. The aza-Wittig reaction was modified to permit the synthesis in one step of carboranyl-benzothiazole and carboranyl-benzoselenazoline derivatives. The stability studies show that the carboranyl-imines and benzothiazole promote deboronation to the nido-derivatives, which is achieved by simple reaction with methanol or protic solvents. The structures of the nido-derivatives were also studied by X-ray diffraction. In contrast, the saturated derivatives, amine and benzoselenazoline, do not promote deboronation and are stable in protic solvents.

In children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder, less task‐related up‐modulation of motor cortex during response inhibition

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify a quantitative, brain‐based measure reflecting impaired response inhibition in children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).MethodsIn this cross‐sectional study, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to evoke potentials in hand muscle during both a simple reaction time and a response inhibition task in 8‐to‐12‐year‐old children, 41 with ADHD (42% girls, 76% white, mean age 10.3 years) and 38 typically developing controls (53% girls, 74% white, mean age 9.8 years). We used mixed‐model linear regressions of evoked potential amplitudes to compare motor cortex excitability at (1) task‐onset (“START”: 550 ms prior to action); (2) preparing‐to‐go (“GO”: 150 ms prior to action); and (3) selecting‐to‐stop (“STOP”: 150 ms after stop cue). We hypothesized that task‐related up‐modulation of motor cortex excitability (motor evoked potential amplitudes) would depend both on task (STOP > GO > START) and on diagnosis (controls > patients).ResultsMotor cortex up‐modulation was significantly greater for STOP trials than during GO or START. Children with ADHD had both worse response inhibition performance (longer stop‐signal reaction times) and significantly less task effect on motor cortex up‐modulation. The largest diagnostic difference in motor cortex activation occurred during STOP trials. Reduced up‐modulation during stopping was also associated with higher parent‐rated symptom severity.InterpretationOur findings suggest that motor cortex up‐modulation of excitability, assessed indirectly by TMS motor evoked potentials, reflects the cognitive load during response inhibition tasks and may be a quantitative, brain‐based indicator of impaired response inhibition in children with ADHD.

Visible-Light-Induced Glycosylation/Annulation of 2-Isocyanobiaryls and Glycosyl NHP Esters to Access Nonclassical Heteroaryl C-Glycosides

Visible-Light-Induced Glycosylation/Annulation of 2-Isocyanobiaryls and Glycosyl NHP Esters to Access Nonclassical Heteroaryl C-Glycosides

From Pseudocyclic to Macrocyclic Ionophores: Strategies toward the Synthesis of Cyclic Monensin Derivatives.

There has been a long search for a simple preparation of new cyclic analogues of ionophore antibiotics. We report a simple and general synthesis of three new cyclic derivatives of polyether ionophore, monensin A (MON). The application of the Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides and terminal alkynes to macrocyclization results in a concise, synthetic route to monensin lacton or lactam in only 4 steps. Additionally, macrolactamization by a simple amidation reaction using HATU, a commonly used conjugating agent, gives 72% yields and utilizes neither high dilution techniques nor template effects in the cyclization step. This in turn enables ready access to a range of unnatural MON analogues, showing the ability to form complexes with monovalent and divalent metal cations.

Lighting Up Dual-Aptamer-Based DNA Logic-Gated Series Lamp Probes with Specific Membrane Proteins for Sensitive and Accurate Cancer Cell Identification.

Accurate identification of cancer cells under complex physiological environments holds great promise for noninvasive diagnosis and personalized medicine. Herein, we developed dual-aptamer-based DNA logic-gated series lamp probes (DApt-SLP) by coupling a DNA cell-classifier (DCC) with a self-powered signal-amplifier (SSA), enabling rapid and sensitive identification of cancer cells in a blood sample. DCC is endowed with two extended-aptamer based modules for recognizing the two cascade cell membrane receptors and serves as a DNA logic gate to pinpoint a particular and narrow subpopulation of cells from a larger population of similar cells. DCC leverages a dual-receptor co-recognition strategy for enhanced specificity of cell identification by performing the matching operation between aptamer and receptor twice on cell membranes. SSA is a signal converter attached at the end of DCC that changes the cell identification process into detectable signals, as well as a signal amplifier to output amplified signals by using a simple and efficient hybridization chain reaction. Unique from those who are multicomponent systems, DApt-SLP is an all-in-one compact DNA nanodevice, exhibiting an enhanced nuclease-degradation resistance and targeting ability. In vitro feasibility, cell imaging, and flow cytometry analysis showed that the DApt-SLP system successfully operated under buffered solution and physiological environment and precisely differentiated the target cell from large populations of similar cells. Benefiting from its integrated design and single-step cancer cell identification with high sensitivity and accuracy, the DApt-SLP system is a practical tool in personalized medicine and biomedical engineering.

Thioxanthone Synthesis from Thioureas through Double Aryne Insertion into a Carbon-Sulfur Double Bond.

Thioxanthone synthesis from o-silylaryl triflates and thioureas is disclosed. Double aryne insertion into the C═S double bond of thioureas and subsequent hydrolysis realized the facile preparation of thioxanthones. A simple reaction procedure and good accessibility of o-silylaryl triflates allowed us to synthesize a wide range of highly functionalized thioxanthones.

Basics of utilizing NH ions for accurate phthalate ester quantification via selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry in food.

Phthalate esters, frequently used as plasticizers in consumer products, raise concerns because of potential health effects. Using density functional theory (DFT) with B3LYP and 6-311++G(d, p) basis sets, their properties, such as dipole moment, polarizability, proton affinity and ionization energy of phthalate esters are obtained. Reaction kinetics and thermodynamics of popular reagent ions like H3O, NH, NO and O are computed to know the feasibility of the reactions with such ions. Proton affinity and ionization energy indicate high susceptibility to proton and charge transfer reactions. High dipole moments contribute to elevated rate coefficients in proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). PTR-MS rates are influenced by drift tube conditions, supported by high center-of-mass collisional energy of E = 0.28 eV. SIFT-MS rates diminish with rising temperature. The high kinetic energy data of H3O, NO and O suggests that simple proton transfer and charge transfer reactions are overruled due to very high internal energy which could lead to extensive fragmentation of phthalate esters. The energetic profile of NH ions indicates their suitability for quantifying phthalate esters using NH-CI-MS techniques.

One Step Synthesis of 4,6,8-Trimethoxyazulenes - as Building Block for 2-Functionalized Azulenes.

Here we present a simple gold-catalyzed one-pot reaction of easily available diarylbutadiynes, with trimethoxybenzene as solvent and reactant to synthesize 4,6,8-trimethoxyazulenes. The methoxy substituents, which render the azulene very electron-rich, enable a change of azulenes typical regioselectivity for electrophilic substitutions, which enables facile electrophilic 2-substitution with iodine, bromine, chlorine, selenium or sulfur. Especially the 2-haloazulenes which can usually only be obtained through lengthy multistep syntheses are valuable building blocks for the synthesis of 2-substituted azulene derivatives.

Benzimidazole-phenoxy-1,2,3-triazole-benzyl Derivatives as the New Potent α-glucosidase Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, In Vitro, and In Silico Biological Evaluations.

α-Glucosidase inhibitors play an important role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Inhibitors of the latter enzyme that are available on the market created gastrointestinal side effects and achieve to a high potent and low side effect potent α-glucosidase inhibitors is a valuable target for medicinal chemists. In this study, derivatives of benzimidazole-phenoxy-1,2,3-triazole-benzyl skeleton were introduced as new α-glucosidase inhibitors. Twelve derivatives 8a-l of target scaffold were synthesized via simple chemical re-actions with a yield between 65 and 88%. The in vitro α-glucosidase inhibition activities of these compounds was evaluated against yeast form of this enzyme. After the determination of most potent compound, the interaction of this compound with α-glucosidase was evaluated in vitro by kinetic study and in silico by docking study. Drug-likeness, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity profiles of the most potent compound were predicted by an online software. Anti-α-glucosidase assay demonstrated that all synthesized derivatives 8a-l were more potent that standard inhibitor acarbose. Representatively, 2-(4-((1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)phenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole (compound 8a) as the most potent derivative was 150-times more potent than positive control. Kinetic study of compound 8a revealed that this compound is an uncompetitive inhibitor against α-glucosidase. Furthermore, molecular docking study showed that compound 8a with favorable binding energy attached to important residues in the α-glucosidase active site. This compound also can be an oral drug with favorable toxicity profile. Benzimidazole-phenoxy-1,2,3-triazole-benzyl derivatives 8a-l synthesized and evaluated for anti-α-glucosidase activity. All these compounds were excellent α-glucosidase inhibitor, and compound 8a demonstrated the most significant inhibition effect when com-pared with positive control.

FEMC-deuterogenic artificial solid electrolyte interphase boosts high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

A NaF-rich composite artificial interphase is in-situ generated relying on a simple chemical reaction by regulating methyl 2,2,2-trifluoromethyl ester reactivity, which can promote rapid ion transport and effectively inhibit dendrite growth in carbonate electrolytes. The assembled NaF@Na‖Na3V2(PO4)3full cell attains a long lifespan of 4000 cycles at 5C with 95% capacity retention, and a high specific capacity of 80.8 mAh g-1 at 30C.

Simple and rapid paper-based colorimetric spot test for promethazine screening in recreational drug beverages and pharmaceuticals

This study introduces a paper-based colorimetric spot test for the rapid and cost-effective detection of promethazine, featuring enhanced stability and user-friendliness. The developed device employs a potassium persulfate reagent encapsulated in a xerogel matrix, facilitating a simple chemical oxidation reaction that produces a pink color upon promethazine detection. Color quantification is efficiently achieved using a digital camera, with image analysis performed through ImageJ software to convert color image into a blue intensity scale. Under optimized conditions, the method demonstrates a linear calibration curve within the range of 100–600 mg/L and a detection limit of 20 mg/L. The paper-based colorimetric spot test exhibited good intra-day and inter-day accuracy of the recoveries of 98–102 % and 99–101 %, respectively. Good precision of measurement was also achieved (5.6 % RSD). The xerogel matrix ensures the long-term storage stability of the reagent for three months when stored at both 25 °C and 4 °C, making the device suitable for field applications. When applied to detection of promethazine in recreational drug beverage samples and pharmaceutical formulations, the performance of the proposed method showed no significant statistical differences compared to gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID). This low-cost, portable, and disposable tool is suited for onsite screening of promethazine, representing a significant advancement in rapid drug detection methodologies.

A rhodamine-conjugated fluorescent and colorimetric receptor for the detection of Cu2+ ions: environmental utility and smartphone integration.

A new rhodamine based turn on florescent probe (Z)-3',6'-bis(ethylamino)-2-(((6-methoxy-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolin-3-yl)methylene)amino)-2',7'-dimethylspiro[isoindoline-1,9'-xanthen]-3-one (RME) was efficiently synthesized through a simple condensation reaction of 2-amino-3',6'-bis(ethylamino)-2',7'-dimethylspiro[isoindoline-1,9'-xanthen]-3-one and 6-methoxy-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoline-3-carbaldehyde. The receptor RME is highly non-fluorescent and when copper ions (Cu2+ ions) are added in DMF/water (1 : 2, v/v) medium, the receptor RME exhibits a specific "turn-on" colorimetric and fluorometric response. Moreover, RME binding with Cu2+ ions produced a remarkable color variation that was perceptible to the human eye, changing from colorless to pink. The binding stoichiometry was 1 : 1, confirmed through theoretical DFT, Job's plot, and mass spectral analysis. RME showed good sensing capability for Cu2+ ions, with LOD values of 11.25 nM for ratiometric colorimetry, 1.42 nM for fluorometry, and 107 nM for smartphone-based detection. These LOD values are significantly lower than WHO's acceptable threshold of 2 μM. Additionally, developing portable techniques based on paper-based test strips and smartphone assistance allowed for qualitative and quantitative detection of Cu2+ ions. These portable and economical methods eliminate the need for expensive laboratory apparatus, enabling precise and affordable on-site assessments. In addition, the developed sensing protocol for the detection of Cu2+ ions was extended to real water samples such as tap, dam, and drinking water samples. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of RME in detecting Cu2+ ions in complex matrices, making it a promising tool for environmental monitoring and water quality assessment.

Simple User-Friendly Reaction Format.

Utilizing the growing wealth of chemical reaction data can boost synthesis planning and increase success rates. Yet, the effectiveness of machine learning tools for retrosynthesis planning and forward reaction prediction relies on accessible, well-curated data presented in a structured format. Although some public and licensed reaction databases exist, they often lack essential information about reaction conditions. To address this issue and promote the principles of findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data reporting and sharing, we introduce the Simple User-Friendly Reaction Format (SURF). SURF standardizes the documentation of reaction data through a structured tabular format, requiring only a basic understanding of spreadsheets. This format enables chemists to record the synthesis of molecules in a format that is understandable by both humans and machines, which facilitates seamless sharing and integration directly into machine learning pipelines. SURF files are designed to be interoperable, easily imported into relational databases, and convertible into other formats. This complements existing initiatives like the Open Reaction Database (ORD) and Unified Data Model (UDM). At Roche, SURF plays a crucial role in democratizing FAIR reaction data sharing and expediting the chemical synthesis process.