Crystallinity and fluorine substitution effects on the proton conductivity of porous hydroxyapatites

1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions of Nitrile Oxides under "Non-Conventional" Conditions: Green Solvents, Irradiation, and Continuous Flow

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions (DCs) of nitrile oxides (NOs) to alkenes and alkynes are useful methods for the synthesis of 2-isoxazolines and isoxazoles respectively, which are important classes of heterocyclic compounds in organic and medicinal chemistry. Most of these reactions are carried out in organic solvents and under thermal activation. Nevertheless the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂ ) and ionic liquids (Ils) as alternative solvents and the application of microwave (MW) and ultrasound (US) as alternative activation procedures have evident advantages from the "Green Chemistry" point of view. The critical discussion on the applications of these "unconventional" activation methods and reaction conditions in the 1,3-DCs of NOs is the objective of the present Review.

Performance of novel hydroxyapatite nanowires in treatment of fluoride contaminated water

Novel ultralong hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanowires were successfully prepared for fluoride removal for the first time. The fluoride adsorption on the HAP nanowires was studied on a batch mode. The results revealed that the adsorption data could be well described by the Freundlich model, and the adsorption kinetic followed the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum of adsorption capacity was 40.65 mg/g at pH 7.0 when the fluoride concentration is 200mg/L. The thermodynamic parameters suggested that the adsorption of fluoride was a spontaneous endothermic process. The FT-IR, XPS and Zeta potential analysis revealed that both anion exchange and electrostatic interactions were involved in the adsorption of fluoride. Furthermore, the HAP nanowires were made into HAP membrane through a simple process of suction filtration. Membrane filtration experiments revealed that the fluoride removal capabilities depended on the membrane thickness, flow rate and initial concentration of fluoride. The as-prepared membrane could remove fluoride efficiently through continues filtration. The filtered water amount could reach 350, 192, and 64 L/m(2) when the fluoride concentrations were 4, 5 and 8 ppm, respectively, using the HAP membrane with only 150 μm thickness. The as-synthesized ultralong HAP nanowires were thus demonstrated to be very effective and biocompatible adsorbents for fluoride removal from contaminated water.

Biomimetic composites by surface-initiated polymerization of cyclic lactones at anorganic bone: preparation and in vitro evaluation of osteoblast and osteoclast competence

Biomimetic composites were constructed using anorganic bone to initiate the polymerization of cyclic lactones. The resulting anorganic bone/polylactone composites preserve the inorganic structure and the mechanical properties of the original bone. Thermal conditions used to prepare the anorganic bone were shown to control the surface functionalities, surface area, and crystallinity, all of which influence the rates of subsequent polymerizations. Thermal pretreatment of anorganic bone was examined as a function of time and temperature, ranging from 400°C to 800°C. Polymerization rates of different monomers were also compared. Additionally, in vitro evaluations of anorganic bone/poly-L-lactide and anorganic bone/polyglycolide composites for osteoblast and osteoclast competence suggest that these composites are good candidates for potential in vivo use, since both composites promoted osteoblast differentiation. The anorganic bone/poly-L-lactide composite also promoted osteoclast differentiation.

Pyridine and phenol removal using natural and synthetic apatites as low cost sorbents: influence of porosity and surface interactions

A natural phosphate rock and two synthetic mesoporous hydroxyapatites were evaluated for the removal of pyridine and phenol from aqueous solutions. Experiments performed by the batch method showed that the sorption process occurs by a first order reaction for both pyridine and phenol. In contrast, the Freundlich model was able to describe sorption isotherms for phenol but not for pyridine. In parallel, the three apatites exhibit similar pyridine sorption capacities whereas phenol loading was in agreement with their respective specific surface area. This was attributed to the strong interaction arising between pyridine and apatite surface that hinders further inter-particular diffusion. This study suggests that, despite its low specific surface area, natural phosphate rock may be used as an efficient sorbent material for specific organic pollutants, with comparable efficiency and lower processing costs than some activated carbons.

Nickel-Hydroxyapatite as Biomaterial Catalysts for Hydrogen Production via Glycerol Steam Reforming

Nickel-hydroxyapatite as biomaterial catalysts exhibited high activity and selectivity in glycerol steam reforming. The catalytic steam reforming of glycerol (C3H8O3) for the production of hydrogen is carried out over nickel supported on hydroxyapatite [Ca5(PO4)3(OH)] catalyst at 600 oC with atmospheric pressure and 120 minute time reaction. The catalysts were prepared by mean of wet impregnation method and varied nickel loadings (3, 6, 12 %) on hydroxyapatite. It is found that the 3% wt% Ni/HAP show higher hydrogen production rate over the other nickel loadings on hydroxyapatite, which is correlated with Ni/HAP catalyst surface area measured by BET adsorbtion and morphology of catalysts. Glycerol steam reforming with water-to-glycerol feed ratio 8/1 much more hydrogen production (77-82%) compared feed ratio 4/1. The catalysts were characterised by BET surface area and SEM-EDX techniques.

Microwave-assisted and efficient solvent-free knoevenagel condensation. A sustainable protocol using porous calcium hydroxyapatite as catalyst

A sustainable Knoevenagel condensation of a series of aldehydes with malononitrile and ethyl cyanoacetate is described. The process is based on the combination of microwave activation and hydroxyapatite catalysis under solvent-free conditions. Products are obtained in and high yields after short reaction times. The effects of the specific surface of porous calcium hydroxyapatite and microwave activation are discussed.

Adsorption of phenol from an aqueous solution by selected apatite adsorbents: kinetic process and impact of the surface properties

Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to investigate the removal of phenol from wastewater by addition of three apatites (porous hydroxyapatite (PHAp) and crystalline hydroxyl- (HAp) and fluoroapatite (FAp)). The best performances were obtained with porous hydroxyapatite PHAp, which presented higher adsorption capacities (experimental: 8.2mgg(-1); calculated 9.2mgg(-1)) than HAp and FAp (3-4mgg(-1)). Different models of adsorption were used to describe the kinetics data, to calculate corresponding rate constants and to predict the theoretical capacities of apatite surfaces for phenol adsorption. A mechanism of phenol adsorption associating chemisorption and physisorption processes is presented allowing the discussion of the variations in adsorption behavior between these materials in terms of specific surface area and chemical composition. These data suggest that apatites are promising materials for phenol sorption.

Electrical characterization of hydroxyapatite-based bioceramics

This paper studies the AC conductivity and permittivity of hydroxyapatite (HA)-based ceramics from 0.1 Hz-1 MHz at temperatures from room temperature to 1000 degrees C. HA-based ceramics were prepared either as dense ceramics or in porous form with interconnected porosity and were sintered in either air or water vapour. Samples were thermally cycled to examine the influence of water desorption on AC conductivity and permittivity. Surface-bound water was thought to contribute to conductivity for both dense and porous materials at temperatures below 200 degrees C. At temperatures below 700 degrees C the permittivity and AC conductivity of HA was also influenced by the degree of dehydration and thermal history. At higher temperatures (700-1000 degrees C), bulk ionic conduction was dominant and activation energies were of the order of approximately 2 eV, indicating that hydroxyl ions are responsible for conductivity.

Templating route for mesostructured calcium phosphates with carboxylic acid- and amine-type surfactants

Mesostructured calcium phosphates constructed by ionic frameworks were synthesized using carboxylic acid- and amine-type surfactants in mixed solvent systems of ethanol and water. A lamellar mesostructured calcium phosphate was prepared using palmitic acid as an anionic surfactant, as in the case using n-alkylamines. A wormhole-like mesostructured calcium phosphate can be obtained using dicarboxyl N-lauroyl- l-glutamic acid, whose headgroup is larger than that of palmitic acid. Similar mesostructured product was obtained using 4-dodecyldiethylenetriamine with a large headgroup containing two primary amine groups. Interactions of carboxyl and primary amino groups in the surfactant molecules with inorganic species are quite important for the formation of mesostructured calcium phosphates. The Ca/P molar ratio of mesostructured calcium phosphates was strongly affected by the molecular structure of surfactants containing carboxyl and primary amino groups. Ca-rich materials can be obtained using carboxylic acid-type surfactants (Ca/P approximately 1.7) rather than amine-type surfactants (Ca/P approximately 1.0).

Formation of hydroxyapatite-layer on glass plate and its removal–regeneration properties for aqueous cadmium

A glass plate was coated with calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHAp) by a dip-coating method and employed for the removal of aqueous cadmium. Sol obtained from alcoholic solution of (NH(4))(2)HPO(4) and Ca(NO(3))(2) x 4H(2)O was employed for the precursor of the CaHAp layer. The preparation of CaHAp from the sol needed a rather low calcination temperature of 573 K and the resulting solid mainly contained CaHAp. It was shown that the glass plate coated with CaHAp with the sol could be employed for the removal of aqueous cadmium. Furthermore, it was found that cadmium immobilized on the coated plate could be regenerated into weak acidic solution. A dissolution-precipitation mechanism was suggested for the removal-regeneration of aqueous cadmium.

Preparation of alkaline earth phosphates with sol containing sodium alginate and sodium diphosphate

Magnesium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydroxyapatite, and strontium hydroxyapatite were successfully prepared from sol consisting of sodium alginate and Na4P2O7 with Mg2+, Ca2+, and Sr2+ in the corresponding nitrates, respectively. It is revealed that the order of the addition of those substrates and the role of sodium alginate are important factors for the preparation of desired phosphate compounds. According to the previous paper on the preparation of calcium hydroxyapatite, sodium alginate was mixed with aqueous Na4P2O7, followed by the addition of the aqueous divalent cations, resulting in the poor formation of the target phosphates. However, as a revised sol-gel technique, sodium alginate was added to the mixture of Na4P2O7 and aqueous Mg2+ and Sr2+, resulting in a rather favorable formation of MgHPO4 and strontium hydroxyapatite, respectively, while the sol thus obtained was stable within a few days. However for aqueous Ca2+, calcium hydroxyapatite could not be obtained through the revised sol-gel technique. In the preparation of magnesium hydrogen phosphate, sodium alginate contributes mainly to the sol formation of the precursor. The ion exchange between Na+ in sodium alginate and aqueous Ca2+ was important for the preparation of calcium hydroxyapatite. In contrast, the reaction of sodium alginate with the mixture of Na4P2O7 and aqueous Sr2+ afforded strontium hydroxyapatite at the specific ratio of those three substrates. The structure of calcium and strontium phosphates prepared from the revised sol-gel process evidently depended on the amount of sodium alginate introduced into the mixture of Na4P2O7 and the corresponding divalent cations.