Boosting multiple photo-assisted and temperature controlled reactions with a single redox-switchable catalyst: Solvents as internal substrates and reducing agent

Advances in pharmacological effects and mechanism of action of cinnamaldehyde

Cinnamaldehyde is extracted from Cinnamomum cassia and other species, providing diverse sources for varying chemical properties and therapeutic effects. Besides natural extraction, synthetic production and biotechnological methods like microbial fermentation offer scalable and sustainable alternatives. Cinnamaldehyd demonstrates a broad pharmacological range, impacting various diseases through detailed mechanisms. This review aims to encapsulate the diverse therapeutic effects of cinnamaldehyde, its molecular interactions, and its potential in clinical applications. Drawing on recent scientific studies and databases like Web of Science, PubMed, and ScienceDirect, this review outlines cinnamaldehyde's efficacy in treating inflammatory conditions, bacterial infections, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular and kidney diseases. It primarily operates by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway and modulating pro-inflammatory mediators, alongside disrupting bacterial cells and inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. The compound enhances metabolic health by improving glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity and offers cardiovascular protection through its anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering effects. Additionally, it promotes autophagy in kidney disease management. Preclinical and clinical research supports its therapeutic potential, underscoring the need for further investigation into its mechanisms and safety to develop new drugs based on cinnamaldehyde.

Spinel Phase Engineering Boosted Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity in Co1-xSrxCr2O4

We synthesized Sr-doped spinel CoCr2O4 using the solution combustion method and characterized the structure, morphology, chemical state, and photocatalytic properties through different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). 30-50 nm cuboid CoCr2O4 nanocrystals with Sr doping levels ranging from 0 to 0.6% were obtained; the increasing Sr doping deformed the coordination number of Co and Cr, transitioning to octahedral and tetrahedral units, inducing the phase transition from spinel to inverse spinel at 0.6% Sr content. This modification enhanced optical absorption, reduced the energy band gap, increased photoluminescence intensity, and maintained a high-spin state with oxygen vacancies. 0.6% Sr-doped CoCr2O4 demonstrated the highest photocatalytic efficiency at 93%. The XRD structure and photocatalytic activity remained at 87% over 7 cycles after 14 h. Employing degradation pathways and Mott-Schottky curves elucidated the enhancement mechanism.

Chirally modified cobalt-vanadate grafted on battery waste derived layered reduced graphene oxide for enantioselective photooxidation of 2-naphthol: Asymmetric induction through non-covalent interaction

The cobalt oxide-vanadium oxide (Co₃O₄-V₂O₅) combined with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) having band gap of ∼ 3.3 eV appeared as a suitable photocatalyst for selective oxidation of 2-naphthol to BINOL. C2-symmetric BINOL was achieved with good yield using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant under UV-light irradiation. The same catalyst was chirally modified with cinchonidine and a newly synthesized chiral Schiff base ligand having a sigma-hole center. The strong interaction of the chiral modifiers with the cobalt-vanadium oxide was truly evident from various spectroscopic studies and DFT calculations. The chirally modified mixed metal oxide transformed the oxidative CC coupling reaction with high enantioselectivity. High enantiomeric excess upto 92 % of R-BINOL was obtained in acetonitrile solvent and hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. A significant achievement was the formation of S-BINOL in the case of the cinchonidine modified catalyst and R-BINOL with the Schiff base ligand anchored chiral catalyst. The UV-light induced catalytic reaction was found to involve hydroxyl radical as the active reactive species. The spin trapping ESR and fluorescence experiment provided relevant evidence for the formation of such species through photodecomposition of hydrogen peroxide on the catalyst surface. The chiral induction to the resultant product was found to induce through supramolecular interaction like OH…π, H…Br interaction. The presence of sigma hole center was believed to play significant role in naphtholate ion recognition during the catalytic cycle.

Halloysite Nanotubes: Smart Nanomaterials in Catalysis

The use of clay minerals as catalyst is renowned since ancient times. Among the different clays used for catalytic purposes, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) represent valuable resources for industrial applications. This special tubular clay possesses high stability and biocompatibility, resistance against organic solvents, and most importantly be available in large amounts at a low cost. Therefore, HNTs can be efficiently used as catalysts themselves or supports for metal nanoparticles in several catalytic processes. This review reports a comprehensive overview of the relevant advances in the use of halloysite in catalysis, focusing the attention on the last five years.

Synchronous removal of emulsions and organic dye over palladium nanoparticles anchored cellulose-based membrane

Membrane is a considerable precursor for emulsions separation and organic dyes degradation used in water purification and oil reclamation. However, the tedious preparation method, the surface smears easily, and low degradation efficiency, these characteristics usually significantly hinder its applicability toward wastewater governance. Herein, a green, facile, and efficient fabrication strategy to prepare a bi-functional palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs)-loaded bacterial cellulose membrane (BCMPd) is proposed. A tri-functional bacterial cellulose membrane (BCM) was obtained by percolating bacterial cellulose (BC) on a basal membrane, and BCM served as a support, reducing agent, and stabilizer in the subsequent reduction of PdNPs. Bi-functional BCMPd was successfully obtained and used for continuously removing emulsions and reducing methylene blue (MB) from simulated wastewater via the integration of physical sieving and chemical reaction. Meanwhile, the enhancement factors for the water transfer ability and demulsification capacity correlated directly with the wettability and surface structure of BCMPd. Furthermore, the dosage of BC was adjusted to reveal the mechanism for the enhanced water transferability and demulsification capacity. Notably, PdNPs of BCMPd decreased Fermi potential difference between BH_4- and MB, accelerating the electron transfer of the reduction reaction and thus exhibiting a remarkable MB degradation efficiency. Together, the information obtained in this work can be useful for comprehensively addressing the bottleneck of forming a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and bi-functional membrane reactor, providing an alternative approach for better treatment of complex wastewater.