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The existence of Cr(VI) and antibiotics in the environment can form the joint contaminant which can be hazardous to the ecosystem. To deal with this, we have explored a plausible method to remove the Cr(VI) and tetracycline (TC) from water by visible light photocatalysis. In this study, a series of reduced graphene oxide@ZnAlTi layered double oxides (rGO@LDO) composites with different doping ratio of rGO were successfully synthesized, which were applied in photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) and oxidation of TC. Graphene acts as an electron donor and it can enhance the adsorption of Cr(VI) and TC on the surface of the composites. It's found that the obtained ZnAlTi-LDO composites doped with rGO have higher photo-responsiveness in the visible region. The best-performing rGO@LDO composite (i.e., CGL3) exhibited enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction, which was about five times higher than those of ZnAlTi-LDO (without adding hole catcher). The rGO@LDO also showed a satisfactory performance for photocatalytic oxidation of TC with the total organic carbon removal of 80%. However, the doping of rGO did not significantly enhance the removal of TC. The experiment of pH effects demonstrated that acidic pH was favorable to photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI), while neutral pH was favorable to photocatalytic oxidation of TC. The band structure of ZnAlTi-LDO was first identified, and the E VB and E CB of ZnAlTi-LDO are -2.32 and 0.72 V (vs. RHE). This research provides a feasible method to remove Cr(VI) and tetracycline from water by employing ZnAlTi-LDO doped with rGO as photocatalyst., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ammonia (NH 3 ), is a precursor for the formation of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), and thus establishing efficient and cost-effective methods to detect ammonia emission is highly desired. Transition metal oxide semiconductors-based sensors for electrochemical gas sensing have been extensively explored. Among various types of semiconductors, tungsten oxide (WO 3 ) possesses an anisotropic layered crystalline structure and is recognized as a promising material for gas sensing. However, the performance of commercial WO 3 is unsatisfactory because of its high impedance and low charge transportation efficiency. Thus, the modification of commercial WO 3 is needed to make it an efficient ammonia sensor material. In this work, closely packed WO 3 microspheres with oxygen vacancies were synthesized successfully through a novel two-step hydrothermal route. Our WO 3 showed a good selectivity to ammonia sensing, and its response intensity was 2.6 times higher than that of commercial WO 3 because of its optimized conductivity. Moreover, the mechanism behind its robust ammonia sensing performance was elucidated. The effectiveness of the as-prepared WO 3 microspheres for ammonia sensing also suggests a new strategy for modifying transition metal oxide materials., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Several efficient stabilizing amendments have been recently proposed for the remediation of metal(loid)-contaminated soils. However, information on their interactions with plants, which is a crucial factor in soil environments, are still scarce. An amorphous manganese oxide (AMO) synthesized from organic compounds and nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) have been previously tested as promising stabilizing agents usable both for the stabilization of metals and As. Experiments with rhizoboxes were performed in order to evaluate their influence on the mobility of metal(loid)s in the bulk soil and rhizosphere of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) together with their impact on metal uptake and biomass yield. Generally, AMO proved more efficient than nZVI in all stages of experiment. Furthermore, the AMO effectively reduced water- and 0.01 M CaCl 2 -extractable fractions of Cd, Pb and Zn. The decreased bioavailability of contaminating metal(loid)s resulted in significant increase of microbial activity in AMO-amended soil. Together with metal(loid) extractability, the AMO was also able to significantly reduce the uptake of metals and ameliorate plant growth, especially in the case of Zn, since this metal was taken up in excessive amounts from the control soil causing strong phytotoxicity and even death of young seedlings. On the other hand, AMO application lead to significant release of Mn that was readily taken up by plants. Resulting Mn concentrations in biomass exceeded toxicity thresholds while plants were showing emergent Mn phytotoxicity symptoms. We highlight the need of such complex studies involving plants and soil biota when evaluating the efficiency of stabilizing amendments in contaminated soils., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Diphenylphosphinic amides and diphenylphosphine oxides have been synthesized and tested as inhibitors of the Kv1.5 potassium ion channel as a possible treatment for atrial fibrillation. In vitro structure-activity relationships are discussed and several compounds with Kv1.5 IC(50) values of <0.5 μM were discovered. Selectivity over the ventricular IKs current was monitored and selective compounds were found. Results from a rabbit PD-model are included., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of 2-nitroaryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines 10 and nitro-substituted 5,6-dihydrobenzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinoline N-oxides 11 have been synthesised and evaluated as potential bioreducible substrates for the enzymes NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and Escherichia coli nitroreductase (NR). Also prepared and evaluated were 2-(3,5-dinitropyridin-2-yl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline 12 and 5,6-dihydro-10-nitropyrido[3″,2″:4',5']imidazo[2',1'-a]isoquinoline 12-oxide 13. Both compounds 10b and 13 were reduced faster by human NQO1 than by CB-1954 [5-(aziridin-1-yl)-2,4-dinitrobenzamide]., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Agave bagasse is a byproduct generated in the mezcal industry. Normally it is burned to reduce its volume, then a byproduct is generated in the form of residual ash, which can contaminate the water in rivers and lakes near the production places called "mezcaleras". This report details measurements of the Agave Salmiana fiber transformation after the burning process. The wasted ash was heated at 950°C, and then hydrolyzed. The compounds were indentified using the X-ray diffraction. The images obtained by scanning electron microscope showed all the morphological transformations of the lime through the whole process. Thermal, elemental and morphological characterization of the agave bagasse were done. Experiments showed that 16% of ash was produced in the burning process of agave bagasse (450°C), and 66% of the ash remains after heating (950°C) in the form of calcium oxide. The results show an important renewable source of calcium compounds, due to the high production of agave based beverages in México., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of 2,6-dimethoxylpyridinyl phosphine oxides have been synthesized and examined for their antitumor activity. 2,6-Dimethoxy-3-phenyl-4-diphenylphosphinoylpyridine 2 has been employed as the lead compound for this study. We found out that the presence of phosphine oxide on the 2,6-dimethoxylpyridine ring is important for the antitumor activity; the presence of bromine on this core leads to a further enhancement of its antitumor activity. This is the first reported work on the antitumor activity of the 2,6-dimethoxy-3,5-dibromopyridinyl phosphine oxide 5b towards MDAMB-231 breast cancer and SKHep-1 hepatoma cell lines.

A series of novel and potent 3,4-diamino-2,5-thiadiazole-1-oxides were prepared and found to show excellent binding affinities for CXCR2 and CXCR1 receptors and excellent inhibitory activity of Gro-alpha and IL-8 mediated in vitro hPMN MPO release of CXCR2 and CXCR1 expressing cell lines. On the other hand, a closely related 3,4-diamino-2,5-thiadiazole-dioxide did not show functional activity despite its excellent binding affinities for CXCR2 and CXCR1 in membrane binding assays. A detailed SAR has been discussed in these two closely related structures.

ESR spin trapping allows detection of superoxide radicals. Novel spin traps forming more stable superoxide adducts (t(1/2) ca. 12-55 min) were tested for their toxicity to cultured cells. The following toxicity ranking was obtained: 4,5-DPPO>4-BEMPO approximately 3-BEMPO>trans-3,5-EDPO>3,5-DPPO approximately 4,5-DiPPO approximately 4,5-EDPO>cis-3,5-EDPO approximately 3,5-DiPPO>DEPMPO. In conclusion, 4,5-EDPO, cis-3,5-EDPO and 3,5-DiPPO can be recommended for further investigation of superoxide in biological systems.

Novel tertiary amine N-oxides of naphthalimides were designed and synthesized as potential anticancer agents against hypoxic solid tumors. Although their ctDNA-binding affinities and cytotoxic activities against usual tumor cell lines were lower than those of corresponding amines, the N-oxides A1 and A4 showed hypoxia preference activities against A375 cells in vitro and might be used as interesting candidates of prodrug leads in hypoxic tumor cells.

A series of cyclic sulfones has been synthesized and their activity against beta-ketoacyl-ACP-synthase III (FabH) has been investigated. The compounds are selectively active against Escherichia coli FabH (ecFabH), but not Mycobacterium tuberculosis FabH (mtFabH) or Plasmodium falciparum KASIII (PfKASIII). The activity against ecFabH ranges from 0.9 to >100microM and follows a consistent general SAR trend. Many of the compounds were shown to have antimalarial activity against chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive (D6) P. falciparum (IC(50)=5.3microM for the most potent inhibitor) and some were active against E. coli (MIC=6.6microg/ml for the most potent inhibitor).

19-norvitamin D A-ring phosphine oxide 5 was synthesized by a new sequence mode starting from D-glucose as a chiral template. Transformation of the pyranoside ring into the A-ring carbocycle was achieved by the Pd-catalyzed Ferrier rearrangement. The phosphine oxide 5 was obtained in an 18% overall yield by this novel cost-effective method.