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The absorbance of Cu atoms sputtered from a Cu cathode in a laboratory-modified radio frequency glow discharge atomizer for atomic absorption spectrometry was measured at different regions within the atomizer chamber for different discharge parameters. The results show that not only the discharge gas flow rate and pressure but also the applied rf power and the degree of extension of the negative glow have significant effects on the atomization and on the distribution of sputtered atoms within the atomizer chamber. The influence of various diameters and thicknesses of the sampling orifice (anode) on the plasma atomization characteristics and the sample weight loss rates has been examined. By increasing the diameter of the sampling orifice, a larger area of the cathode surface (Cu) was allowed to be sputtered, thereby generating a larger number of atoms (higher absorbance) in the analysis volume, where the sputtered atoms were studied by atomic absorption spectrometry. The absorbance of Cu atoms was inversely related to the thickness of the sampling orifice disk because the distance of the investigated region of the atomizer chamber from the cathode surface increases with increasing thickness of the sampling orifice disk. The rate of sample weight loss was inversely related to the diameter of the sampling orifice at orifice diameters higher than or equal to 4 mm. The rate of sample weight loss as a function of the thickness of the sampling orifice disk indicated that the transport efficiency of the sputtered atoms into the atomizer chamber was higher when a sampling disk having a thickness of 2 mm was used. Changing the location of the discharge gas inlet port resulted in a large increase in the atomic absorption signal. A larger increase in the atomic absorption signal of the sputtered Cu atoms was observed for the modified rf atomizer having the discharge gas inlet port on the body of the sampling orifice disk than for the unmodified rf atomizer having the discharge gas inlet port on the top of the atomizer chamber.

An ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction by solidifying floating organic droplets, coupled to a form of temperature-programmed gas chromatography flame ionization detection, has been developed for the extraction and determination of thymol and carvacrol. This method utilizes undecanol as the extraction solvent, offering advantages such as facilitating phase transfer through solidification and enhancing solvent-focusing efficiency. The optimal gas chromatography conditions include a sample injection volume of 0.2 µL, a split ratio of 1:10, and a flow rate of 0.7 mL min -1 . The extraction conditions entail an extraction solvent volume of 20 µL, a disperser solvent (acetone) volume of 500 µL, pH 7.0, 7.0% NaCl (3.5 M), a sample volume of 5.0 mL, an ultrasound duration of 10 min, and a centrifuge time of 7.5 min (800 rpm). These conditions enable the achievement of a high and reasonable linear range of 3.5 to 70. 0 μg mL -1 for both thymol and carvacrol. The detection limits are found to be 0.95 and 0.89 μg mL -1 , respectively, for thymol and carvacrol. The obtained relative standard deviations, 2.7% for thymol and 2.6% for carvacrol, demonstrate acceptable precision for the purpose of quantitative analysis.

Amino-functional silica-coated N-doped carbon dots (NH 2 -SiO 2 -CDs) were covalently modified by l-tryptophan (chiral selector) by producing an amide bond between carboxyl groups of L-try and amino groups of NH 2 -SiO 2 -CDs to develop a novel high throughput chiral nanoprobes (L-try-CONH-SiO 2 -CDs) for highly sensitive and enantioselective quantification of S-/R-mandelic acid (S-/R-Man). The method showed a great difference between S- and R-isomers (enantioselectivity coefficient = 4.17) due to the ultra-stability of the Meisenheimer complex that was formed between S-isomer and nanoprobe (K S-Man /K R-man  = 2122.7, where K is the binding-constant). At optimal experimental conditions, two linear ranges of 0.5-25.0 (LOD of 0.05 μM) and 0.5-22.0 μM (LOD of 0.27 μM) for S- and R-Man, respectively, along with an enhanced sensitivity toward S-isomer (about 5.7-fold higher than R-isomer) were attained. High selectivity for the determination of mandelic acid was achieved compared to metal ions, amino acids, and sugars that commonly coexist with it. Intra-day as well as inter-day assays, respectively, showed RSD values of about 3.2 and 3.9%. The mechanistic studies were performed for proving the enantioselective behavior of the developed nanoprobe. The method was then used for S-/R-mandelic acid determination in bio-samples. The figures of merit for the method were found to be better than those already reported for enantioselective detection of R-/S-Man., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The Authors declare that there are no known conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Nanocubic MoS 2 -FeS 2 , as a photocatalyst, was synthesized with high catalytic active edges and high specific surface areas with the capability of absorbing visible light. The results showed that the photocatalytic efficiency of nanocubic MoS 2 -FeS 2 for adsorption/degradation of methylene blue (MB) as well as the reduction of Cr(VI) was high. The adsorption process was found to follow a kinetic model of a pseudo-second-order kind ( Q = 464 mg g e.cal = 464 mg g -1 = 340 mg g Q e.cal = 340 mg g -1 . The photodegradation process was achieved by holes. It was found that the photodegradation rate constant of MB by MoS 2 -FeS 2 (0.203 min -1 ) was about 22 times higher than that of MoS 2 (0.0091 min -1 ). The percent apparent quantum yield for photoreduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) using MoS 2 -FeS 2 (5.7%) was about 33 times higher than utilizing MoS 2 (0.1709%). Therefore, the synergistically prolonged visible-light harvesting as well as the photocarrier diffusion length proved that MoS 2 -FeS 2 nanotubes can effectively be utilized in environmental pollutant's remediation.

A simple sensor was developed for the colorimetric determination of captopril (CPT). Herein, hierarchical hollow MnO 2 microspheres (HH-MnO 2 ) were applied as nanozymes with peroxidase-mimetic activity. Free cation radicals with a strong absorption signal (λ max at 653 nm) were generated via a redox reaction between 3, 3', 5, 5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and HH-MnO 2 . Captopril could successfully prevent the generation of blue-colored free cation radicals. The influence of CPT concentration on the absorption of the generated radicals was monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The corresponding linear concentration range was from 1.0 to 30.0 μg mL -1 (4.6-138.1 μmol L -1 ), and the detection limit was found to be 0.26 μg mL -1 (1.2 μmol L -1 ). As a practical usage, the developed sensor was effectively utilized to measure the content of CPT in pharmaceutical formulations., (© 2021. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A sensitive and selective novel multinanozyme colorimetric method for glutathione (GSH) detection was developed. MnO 2 -nanozymes can catalyze the oxidation reaction of 3, 3՛-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and produce a brown indamine polymer. In the presence of GSH, this reaction slowly proceeds. When Au-nanozymes was used as peroxidase mimic along with MnO 2 -nanozymes, the analytical signal and selectivity (particularly, over Cys and AA) were significantly improved for GSH detection. Therefore, this novel multinanozyme system was further developed through optimization for the colorimetric detection of GSH. The calibration curve presented two wide linear range from 0.05 to 0.19 and 0.19-11.35 mg L ̶ 1 with a very low detection limit of 0.02 mg L ̶ 1 (5 nM) for GSH. The developed method was employed for human serum analysis without any dilution and any deproteinization., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Modification of micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) with a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) and butanol was effectively performed for analysis of four crucial cardiovascular drugs namely aspirin, atorvastatin, metformin, and metoprolol. The multivariate software tools were employed for screening and optimizing the primary experimental parameters including sodium dodecyl sulphate concentration ([SDS]) as well as the volume percentages of NADES, butanol, and glacial acetic acid (GAC). By using the desirability function, the optimal framework of the mobile phase was obtained at volume ratio of 83:10:3.5:3.5, respectively, for SDS (0.09 mol L -1 ), butanol, NADES, and GAC. Moreover, the curvature and effect plots were applied for evaluating the robustness of the procedure. At the optimal conditions, the drugs were excellently separated within a total analysis time of 12 min when the flow rate of the mobile phase was 1 mL min -1 . To certify the performance of the developed procedure, the Food and Drug Administration guidelines for bioanalytical analysis have been implemented. The designed MLC system was successfully utilized for the quantification of the drugs in urine and plasma samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A field-applicable colorimetric assay for fast detection of notorious explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP) has been developed through the selective irreversible oxidation of 3, 3'-diaminobenzidine by hydrogen peroxide (HP) liberated during the acidic hydrolysis/degradation of TATP in the presence of MnO 2 nanozymes. The generated HP was detected by probing the absorbance of the product (indamine polymer) of the 3, 3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) oxidation reaction at 460.0 nm. The UV-Vis measurements provided a linear range from 1.57 to 10.50 mg L -1 TATP with a detection limit of 0.34 mg L -1 . The oxidation of DAB cannot proceed by molecular oxygen, thus it is selectively oxidized by H 2 O 2 ; this prevents false-positive results from laundry detergents (containing O 2 -releasing substances). Moreover, a naked-eye field test was developed, and a fast spot test analyzing time of 5 s was achieved. The selectivity of the assay was checked by analyzing some synthetic samples prepared with a laundry detergent as camouflage. The results of the developed assay revealed quantitative recoveries for TATP whereas the standard nanozyme-based method showed significant false-positive results. Graphical abstract.

Modified micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) with a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES), produced from choline chloride (ChCl) and ethylene glycol (EG), was employed for melamine (MEL) monitoring in milk matrix. This sustainable mobile phase was attained through chemometrical optimization of crucial variables including concentration of sodium dodecyl sulphate ([SDS]) along with volume percentages of both NADES and glacial acetic acid (GAC). The desirability function and central composite design were utilized as chemometrical tools. Retention time (t R - MEL ), and chromatographic peak width of MEL at 50% of its height (W 50% - MEL ) were considered for finding the best possible arrangement of the influential factors in the configuration of the mobile phase. Under the optimal experimental conditions of 0.10 mol L -1 SDS, 4% (v/v) NADES, and 4% (v/v) GAC, the results showed that both t R - MEL and W 50% - MEL drastically decreased when NADES was a part of the mobile phase composition. This indicated that ChCl-EG-based NADES had a significant impact on improving the chromatographic behaviour of an ionizable polar compound, MEL. At the optimal point, MEL was eluted in approximately 10 min without being interfered by coexisting proteins and endogenous species in milk. The practical performance of the mobile phase was established through direct injection of milk samples into the MLC system. The eligibility criteria of the United State-Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) were considered for validation of the introduced methodology., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A nanobiocomposite was prepared from multiwalled carbon nanotubes and zein nanoparticles. It was dispersed in water/ethanol and drop cast onto a glassy carbon electrode. The modified electrode can be used for electroreduction of H 2 O 2 (typically at a working potential of -0.71 V vs. Ag/AgCl). The electrochemical properties of the electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Response to H 2 O 2 is linear in the 0.049 to 22 μM concentration range, and the detection limit is 35 nM at pH 7.0. The sensor was successfully utilized for the measurement of H 2 O 2 in a synthetic urine sample, and for monitoring the release of H 2 O 2 from human dermal fibroblasts and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of a novel metal- and enzyme-free electrochemical nanosensor. A glassy carbon electrode was modified with a nanocomposite prepared from multiwalled carbon nanotubes and zein nanoparticles. It was applied to the identification of liver cancer cells via sensing of H2O2 and has a very low detection limit.

A simple and informative quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) model has been introduced for prediction of retention times in some anthraquinone derivatives using reversed-phase micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) technique. In the developed multiple linear regression model, the structural descriptors of analytes as well as the empirical parameters of organic modifiers in the applied MLC systems have been considered. Retention times of 77 chromatographic samples (16 anthraquinones were evaluated by using 6 different organic modifiers) were experimentally determined and utilized as the independent variables of the QSRR model. Five small-chain alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, and pentanol) as well as acetonitrile were used as the eluent modifiers. A five-parametric model was attained for the logarithm of the retention time values which covered about 96 and 95% variance of the chromatographic data in training and cross-validation, respectively. The presence of an excellent correlation coefficient for external validation test (= 0.94) and a well-applicable domain proved the prediction ability of the constructed model. Both validity and reliability of the formulated model were examined through its application on diverse random-selected training and test sets. Moreover, quantum chemical calculations were performed in the framework of density functional theory to simulate the interactions between AQs and modifiers and gain mechanistic details about the retention behavior in the MLC system., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A sensitive and reliable ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) procedure was developed and validated for extraction and analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA) as an important lipids-peroxidation biomarker in human plasma. In this methodology, to achieve an applicable extraction procedure, the whole optimization processes were performed in human plasma. To convert MDA into readily extractable species, it was derivatized to hydrazone structure-base by 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) at 40 °C within 60 min. Influences of experimental variables on the extraction process including type and volume of extraction and disperser solvents, amount of derivatization agent, temperature, pH, ionic strength, sonication and centrifugation times were evaluated. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the enhancement factor and extraction recovery were 79.8 and 95.8%, respectively. The analytical signal linearly (R 2  = 0.9988) responded over a concentration range of 5.00-4000 ng mL -1 with a limit of detection of 0.75 ng mL -1 (S/N = 3) in the plasma sample. To validate the developed procedure, the recommend guidelines of Food and Drug Administration for bioanalytical analysis have been employed., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Bilayer pseudo-stationary phase micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) was developed for simultaneous isocratic isolation of hydrochlorothiazide, as a basic-polar (hydrophilic) cardiovascular drug, as well as triamterene and losartan potassium, as acidic-nonpolar (hydrophobic) cardiovascular drugs. Utilizing a deep eutectic solvent (DES), as a novel green mobile phase additive in combination with acetonitrile (ACN) and acetic acid (ACA), drastically improved the chromatographic behavior of the drugs. Concentration of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), as well as volume percentages of ACN, DES, and ACA were optimized by using a central composite design. The optimal composition of the mobile phase (0.12 mol L -1 SDS, 5% ACN, 4% DES, and 2% ACA) was chosen through the desirability function. The chromatographic peaks of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, respectively, emerged at high and low retention time values in the shortest total analysis time of 20 min (at a flow rate of 2 mL min -1 ). Analytical characterization of the developed approach was investigated through Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Applicability of the method was evaluated by analysing of human plasma samples which were directly injected into the system., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A new, fast and inexpensive colorimetric sensor was developed for chiral recognition of tryptophan enantiomers using chitosan-capped silver nanoparticles. The function of the sensor was based on scanometry and spectrophotometry of the colored product of a reaction solution containing a mixture of chitosan-capped silver nanoparticles, phosphate buffer and tryptophan enantiomers. The image of the colored solution was taken using the scanometer and the corresponding color values were obtained using Photoshop software which subsequently were used for optimization of the experimental parameters as the analytical signal. Two types of color values system were investigated: RGB (red, green and blue values) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black values). The color values indicated that L-tryptophan had better interaction than D-tryptophan with chitosan-capped silver nanoparticles. A linear relationship between the analytical signal and the concentration of L-tryptophan was obtained in the concentration range of 1.3 × 10 -5 -4.6 × 10 -4 molL -1 . Detection limits, were obtained to be 2.1 × 10 -6 , 2.4 × 10 -6 and 3.8 × 10 -6 molL -1 for L-tryptophan based on R (red), G (green) and B (blue) values, respectively., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A carbon electrode modified with the ionic liquid octylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate and copper hydroxide nanoparticles was employed in an electrochemical assay for simultaneous determination of captopril (CPT) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT). The electrode showed two well-defined oxidation peaks for CPT (at 0.22 V) and HCT (at 0.73 V, both vs. Ag/AgCl) at pH 8.0 using square wave voltammetry. Calibration plots are linear in the concentration ranges of 0.7-70 µM (CPT) and 3-600 μM (HCT), with detection limits of 12 and 60 nM, respectively. The electrode was repeatedly applied to simultaneous determination of CPT and HCT in pharmaceutical formulation without showing any fouling. Graphical abstract Application of carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) modified with Cu(OH) 2 nanoparticles (Cu(OH) 2 NP/CILE) for the simultaneous determination of captopril (CPT) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) in pharmaceutical formulation is presented.

A simple, fast and green method for chiral recognition of S- and R-naproxen has been introduced. The method was based on quenching of the fluorescence intensity of bovine serum albumin-stabilized gold nanoclusters in the presence of naproxen enantiomers. The quenching intensity in the presence of S-naproxen was higher than R-naproxen when phosphate buffer solution at pH7.0 was used. The chiral recognition occurred due to steric effect between bovine serum albumin conformation and naproxen enantiomers. Two linear determination range were established as 7.4×10 -7 -9.1×10 -6 and 9.1×10 -6 -3.1×10 -5 molL -1 for both enantiomers and detection limits of 7.4×10 -8 molL -1 and 9.5×10 -8 molL -1 were obtained for S- and R-naproxen, respectively. The developed method showed good repeatability and reproducibility for the analysis of a synthetic sample. To make the procedure applicable to biological samples, the removal of heavy metals from the sample is suggested before any analytical attempt., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gas-assisted dispersive liquid-phase microextraction (GA-DLPME) has been developed for preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination of copper ion in different water samples. The ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and argon gas, respectively, were used as the extracting solvent and disperser. The procedure was based on direct reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I) by hydroxylamine hydrochloride, followed by extracting Cu(I) into ionic liquid phase by using neocuproine as the chelating agent. Several experimental variables that affected the GA-DLPME efficiency were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum experimental conditions (IL volume, 50µL; pH, 6.0; acetate buffer, 1.5molL(-1); reducing agent concentration, 0.2molL(-1); NC concentration, 120µgmL(-1); Ar gas bubbling time, 6min; argon flow rate, 1Lmin(-1); NaCl concentration, 6% w/w; and centrifugation time, 3min), the calibration graph was linear over the concentration range of 0.30-2.00µgmL(-1) copper ion with a limit of detection of 0.07µgmL(-1). Relative standard deviation for five replicate determinations of 1.0µgmL(-1) copper ion was found to be 3.9%. The developed method was successfully applied to determination of both Cu(I) and Cu(II) species in water samples., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A rapid, simple and inexpensive spectrofluorimetric sensor for determination of doxycycline based on its interaction with thioglycolic acid-capped cadmium telluride quantum dots (TGA/CdTe QDs) has been developed. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the sensor exhibited a fast response time of <10s. The results revealed that doxycycline could quench the fluorescence of TGA/CdTe QDs via electron transfer from the QDs to doxycycline through a dynamic quenching mechanism. The sensor permitted determination of doxycycline in a concentration range of 1.9×10(-6)-6.1×10(-5)molL(-1) with a detection limit of 1.1×10(-7)molL(-1). The sensor was applied for determination of doxycycline in honey and human serum samples., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, nanoparticles of Fe3O4 as well as their modified forms with different ionic liquids (IL-Fe3O4) were prepared and used for adsorption of lysozyme. The mean size and the surface morphology of the nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, XRD and FTIR techniques. Adsorption studies of lysozyme were performed under different experimental conditions in batch system on different modified magnetic nanoparticles such as, lysozyme concentration, pH of the solution, and contact time. Experimental results were obtained under the optimum operational conditions of pH 9.0 and a contact time of 10 min when initial protein concentrations of 0.05-2.0 mg mL(-1) were used. The isotherm evaluations revealed that the Langmuir model attained better fits to the equilibrium data than the Freundlich model. The maximum obtained adsorption capacities were 370.4, 400.0 500.0 and 526.3 mg of lysozyme for adsorption onto Fe3O4 and modified magnetic nanoparticles by [C4MIM][Br], [C6MIM][Br] and [C8MIM][Br] per gram of adsorbent, respectively. The Langmuir adsorption constants were 0.004, 0.019, 0.024 and 0.012 L mg(-1) for adsorptions of lysozyme onto Fe3O4 and modified magnetic nanoparticles by [C4MIM][Br], [C6MIM][Br] and [C8MIM][Br], respectively. The adsorption capacity of lysozyme was found to be dependent on its chemical structure, pH of the solution, temperature and type of ionic liquid as modifier. The applicability of two kinetic models including pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order model was estimated. Furthermore, the thermodynamic parameters were calculated. Protein could desorb from IL-Fe3O4 nanoparticles by using NaCl solution at pH 9.5 and was reused.

A novel, simple and highly sensitive colorimetric method is developed for determination of Amoxicillin (AMX). The system is based on aggregation of citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNP) in acetate buffer (pH=4.5) in the presence of the degradation product of Amoxicillin (DPAMX). It was found that the color of gold nanoparticles changed from red to purple and the intensity of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of AuNPs decreased. A new absorption band was appeared in the wavelength range of 600-700nm upon addition of DPAMX. The absorbance ratio at the wavelength of 660 and 525nm (A660/A525) was chosen as the analytical signal indirectly related to AMX concentration. The linearity of the calibration graph was found over the concentration range of 0.3-4.5μM AMX with a correlation coefficient of 0.9967. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the detection limit was found to be 0.15μM. The applicability of the method was successfully demonstrated by analysis of AMX in pharmaceutical formulations including capsules and oral suspensions., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Nystatin, one of the tetraene antifungal antibiotics, is very sensitive to light. Thus, when nystatin is exposed to natural daylight, it is photodegraded to products of lower biological activity. In this work, the photodegradation kinetics of nystatin was monitored by a UV-Vis spectrophotometry method. The absorbance spectra of the nystatin, exposed to a 366 nm UV lamp, were recorded at different periods of time. By application of factor analysis to the absorbance data matrix, three absorbing chemical species, coexisting in the reaction system, were detected. The soft-modeling multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares analysis of the evolutionary absorbance data revealed that nystatin undergoes photodegradation in a two-step consecutive manner. Hard-modeling data analysis suggested that reaction has first-order kinetics in the first step and zero-order kinetics in the second step. The reaction rate constants of the first and second steps were estimated as 0.0929 (+/-0.0076) and 0.0052 (+/-0.0016)/min, respectively. Finally, the pure spectra of the resolved chemical species were calculated.

A novel methodology for analysis of enantiomer composition of chiral compounds based on measuring of their critical micelle concentration by using spectrophotometric technique is introduced. The proposed method does not require any chiral selector and the corresponding process is simple, fast, reproducible, and inexpensive. The procedure was successfully applied for analysis of naproxen. The critical micelle concentration data showed that (R)-naproxen could be determined with an RSD of 1.1% and a relative error of -5.6% when a real sample containing the racemic mixture of naproxen with a total concentration of 0.04 mM was tested., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An extracellular protease was purified from a novel moderately halophilic bacterium Salinivibrio sp. strain MS-7 by the combination of an acetone precipitation (40-80 %) step and a DEAE-cellulose anion exchange column chromatography. Kinetic parameters of the enzyme exhibited V(max) and K(m) of 130 U/mg and 1.14 mg/ml, respectively, using casein as a substrate. The biochemical properties of the enzyme revealed that the 21-kDa protease had a temperature and pH optimum of 50 °C and 8.0, respectively. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, Pefabloc SC, chymostatin, and also EDTA, indicating that it belongs to the class of serine metalloproteases. Interestingly, Ba(2+) and Ca(2+) (2 mM) strongly enhanced the enzyme activity, while Fe(2+) and Mg(2+) activated moderately and Zn(2+), Ni(2+), and Hg(2+) decreased the enzyme activity. The effect of organic solvents with different logP on the purified protease revealed complete stability in toluene, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and n-hexane at 10 and 50 % (v/v) and moderate stability even in 50 % of DMSO and ethanol. The behavior of the MS-7 protease in three imidazolium-based ionic liquids exhibited suitable activity in these green solvent systems, especially in 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C(6)MIM][PF(6)]). Comparison of the purified protease with other previously reported proteases suggests that strain MS-7 secrets a novel organic solvent-tolerant protease with outstanding activity in organic solvents and imidazolium-based ionic liquids, which could be applied in low water synthetic section of industrial biotechnology.

In this paper, adsorption behaviors of typical neutral (alanine), acidic (glutamic acid) and basic (lysine) amino acids onto the surfaces of neutral as well as positively and negatively charged silver chloride nanoparticles were examined. Silver chloride nanoparticles with different charges and different water content were synthesized by reverse micelle method. The adsorptions of the above mentioned amino acids onto the surfaces of differently charged silver chloride nanoparticles were found to depend strongly on various parameters including pH of the aqueous solution, type of amino acid, water to surfactant mole ratio, and type of charges on the surfaces of silver chloride nanoparticles. It was found that the interaction of -NH(3) (+) groups of the amino acids with silver ion could be a driving force for adsorption of amino acids. Alanine and Glutamic acid showed almost similar trend for being adsorbed on the surface of silver chloride nanoparticles. Electrostatic interaction, hydrophobicity of both nanoparticle and amino acid, complex formation between amine group and silver ion, interaction between protonated amine and silver ion as well as the number of nanoparticles per unit volume of solution were considered for interpreting the observed results.

An optode was designed for an indirect determination of ascorbic acid by using neocuproine, which has been coated on transparent triacetylcellulose film as a membrane. The proposed method is based on the oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid with the Cu(II) and neocuproine reagent. The increase in the absorbance value of the optode at the maximum wavelength of 455 nm was related to the ascorbic acid concentration in aqueous samples. The sensitivity of the method was improved by using room-temperature ionic liquid, [C(8)MIM][PF(6)]. The linear dynamic range for the determination of ascorbic acid was 7.4 × 10(-5) - 3.5 × 10(-3) mol L(-1) with a limit of detection of 2.2 × 10(-5) mol L(-1) (n = 10) and a response time range of 6.0 - 8.0 min. The optode was successfully applied for the determination of ascorbic acid in orange juice.

The nanoparticles of Fe(3)O(4) as well as the binary nanoparticles of ionic liquid and Fe(3)O(4) (IL-Fe(3)O(4)) were synthesized for removal of reactive red 120 (RR-120) and 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol (PAR) as model azo dyes from aqueous solutions. The mean size and the surface morphology of the nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, DLS, XRD, FTIR and TGA techniques. Adsorption of RR-120 and PAR was studied in a batch reactor at different experimental conditions such as nanoparticle dosage, dye concentration, pH of the solution, ionic strength, and contact time. Experimental results indicated that the IL-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles had removed more than 98% of both dyes under the optimum operational conditions of a dosage of 60mg, a pH of 2.5, and a contact time of 2min when initial dyes concentrations of 10-200mg L(-1) were used. The maximum adsorption capacity of IL-Fe(3)O(4) was 166.67 and 49.26mg g(-1) for RR-120 and PAR, respectively. The isotherm experiments revealed that the Langmuir model attained better fits to the equilibrium data than the Freundlich model. The Langmuir adsorption constants were 5.99 and 3.62L mg(-1) for adsorptions of RR-120 and PAR, respectively. Both adsorption processes were endothermic and dyes could be desorbed from IL-Fe(3)O(4) by using a mixed NaCl-acetone solution and adsorbent was reusable., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)