Determination of potassium ions in pharmaceutical samples by FIA using a potentiometric electrode based on ionophore nonactin occluded in EVA membrane

Inclusion complexes of the macrocycle nonactin with benchmark protonated amines: aniline and serine

The biological activity of the macrocycle nonactin is intimately related to its ionophore properties and ability to act as a selective cation carrier. While the focus of most investigations on nonactin has been on the binding of metal cations and small molecular ions, this study pursues the characterization of its inclusion complexes with primary amines with bulky structured side groups of different polarity. To this end, the complexes of nonactin with aniline and with the amino acid L-serine, both in protonated form, are considered as case studies and their relevant coordination arrangements are assessed by means of infrared action spectroscopy, quantum chemical density functional theory and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics. The study suggests that the oxygen atoms from the oxolane (tetrahydrofuran) groups of nonactin constitute the preferential docking sites of the ammonium moiety of the guest cation, although conformational constraints promote interactions with the ester carbonyl backbone groups. In the aniline complex, the benzyl side ring is oriented outwards from the cavity, whereas in the case of L-serine, the side carboxylic acid and alcohol groups participate actively in the coordination process. Interestingly, the accommodation of L-serine is favoured when nonactin adopts an enantiomeric-selective folding, that promotes the tripodal coordination of the protonated amine group with oxolane rings from three nonactinic acid blocks with enantiomeric sequence (+)-(-)-(+), which allows for a facile coordination of the serine side groups. This is recognized as a general feature associated with the alternation of chiral domains in globally achiral natural nonactin, yielding mirror-symmetric complexes with the enantiomers of chiral amines.

Real-Time in Situ Monitoring of Nitrogen Dynamics in Wastewater Treatment Processes using Wireless, Solid-State, and Ion-Selective Membrane Sensors

Real-time, in situ accurate monitoring of nitrogen contaminants in wastewater over a long-term period is critical for swift feedback control, enhanced nitrogen removal efficiency, and reduced energy consumption of wastewater treatment processes. Existing nitrogen sensors suffer from high cost, low stability, and short life times, posing hurdles for their mass deployment to capture a complete picture within heterogeneous systems. Tackling this challenge, this study presents solid-state ion-selective membrane (S-ISM) nitrogen sensors for ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO₃^-) in wastewater that were coupled to a wireless data transmission gateway for real-time remote data access. Lab-scale test and continuous-flow field tests using real municipal wastewater indicated that the S-ISM nitrogen sensors possessed excellent accuracy and precision, high selectivity, and multiday stability. Importantly, autocorrections of the sensor readings on the cloud minimized temperature influences and assured accurate nitrogen concentration readings in remote-sensing applications. It was estimated that real-time, in situ monitoring using wireless S-ISM nitrogen sensors could save 25% of electric energy under normal operational conditions and reduce 22% of nitrogen discharge under shock conditions.

Efficient production of nonactin by Streptomyces griseus subsp. griseus

Here we report the production of the cyclic macrotetrolide nonactin from the fermentation culture of Streptomyces griseus subsp. griseus. Nonactin is a member of a family of naturally occurring cyclic ionophores known as the macrotetrolide antibiotics. Our fermentation procedure of Streptomyces griseus was performed at 30 °C and 200 rev·min−1 for 5 days on a rotary shaker. Diaion HP-20 and Amberlite XAD-16 were added to the fermentation medium. Isolated yield of nonactin was up to 80 mg·L−1 using our methodology. Nonactin is commonly known as an ammonium ionophore and also exhibits antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor activities. It is also widely used for the preparation of ion-selective electrodes and sensors. Chemical synthesis of nonactin has been achieved by some groups; however, overall yields are very low, making efficient biosynthesis an attractive means of production.

Interrupting the flux of delocalized electrons on a dibenzo-18-crown-6-embedded graphite sheet and its relative counteraction in the presence of potassium ions

Interrupting of the flux of delocalized electrons on the graphite sheet can be counteracted by K⁺.

An Electrochemical Sensor Based on Nanostructured Hollandite-type Manganese Oxide for Detection of Potassium Ions

The participation of cations in redox reactions of manganese oxides provides an opportunity for development of chemical sensors for non-electroactive ions. A sensor based on a nanostructured hollandite-type manganese oxide was investigated for voltammetric detection of potassium ions. The detection is based on the measurement of anodic current generated by oxidation of Mn(III) to Mn(IV) at the surface of the electrode and the subsequent extraction of the potassium ions into the hollandite structure. In this work, an amperometric procedure at an operating potential of 0.80 V (versus SCE) is exploited for amperometric monitoring. The current signals are linearly proportional to potassium ion concentration in the range 4.97 × 10⁻⁵ to 9.05 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9997.

Triethylene Glycol Ether End-grafted Carbosilane Dendrimer: A Potential Ionophore for Potassium Ion Recognition

The performance of a newly synthesized carbosilane dendrimer bearing four triethylene glycol ether (TEG) units, Si(CH2CH2CH2Si(Me)2CH2CH2CH2(OCH2CH2)3Me)4 (1), as ionophores in ion-selective electrodes has been investigated. Optimization of the plasticized polyvinyl chloride membrane composition has produced electrodes that exhibit a Nernstian response for potassium ions. The best general characteristics exhibited by the electrodes were found when the membrane composition ratio of DPE:1:NaTPB:PVC 60:3:2:35 (wt%) was used. The response of the electrode was linear with a Nernstian slope of 58.3 mV/decade over the K+ ion concentration range of 1.9x10(-7) to 1.0x10(-1) M with a detection limit of 3.1x10(-7) M. The response time to achieve a 95% steady potential for the K+ concentration ranging from 1.0x10(-1) to 1.0x10(-8) M was less than 10 s, and it was found that the electrode is suitable for use within a pH range of 5.5-8.5. The selectivity coefficients (log KPotK+,Mn+)), which were determined by the fixed interference method, showed good selectivity for K+ against most of the interfering cations. The influence of this selective ion-binding behavior using electrospray ionization time-of-flight (ESI-TOF) mass spectrometric studies is discussed.