Adsorption of bentazone and imazapyc from water by using functionalized silica: Experimental and computational analysis

In this study, silica and functionalized silica materials (3-aminopropyl and 3-mercapto derivatives) were successfully used for the removal of the pesticides bentazone and imazapyc from aqueous solutions. Adsorbent materials were characterized by BET isotherms and FT-IR spectroscopy (confirming the functionalization), and their equilibrium adsorption capacity was evaluated at different ionic strengths. It is observed that the maximum adsorption capacities decrease in the order 3-aminopropyl-derivative > silica >3-mercaptopropyl derivative. An increase in ionic strength produces an enhancement in the removal of pesticides. All isotherms are Ib-type and follow the Langmuir model, suggesting a monolayer physical adsorption process.

A novel approach to the application of hexagonal mesoporous silica in solid-phase extraction of drugs

Mesoporous silica with hexagonal type structure containing amine functional group was introduced. Firstly, aminopropyl hexagonal mesoporous silica was synthetized in a co-condensation process, via templating route of n-dodecylamine. Then synthesized mesoporous material were characterized, and FT-IR spectrum confirmed the presence of amine group and CHN analysis determined the amount of organic layer. The high surface area (750 m²/g) was determined by applying nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique. The morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy which proved hexagonal structure. The crystallinity of mesoporous material was observed in XRD pattern of this material. According to previous background of such material in adsorbing drug, herein, the efficiency of this material in adsorbing of 5-fluorouracil was evaluated through solid phase extraction method in aqueous and plasma media with high performance liquid chromatography. The extraction efficiency was evaluated for drug concentrations of 500-2000 ng/ml by means of 5-20 mg/ml hexagonal mesoporous silica in both media. The results showed good to excellent recovery rate of in both aqueous and plasma medium which confirmed that the aminopropyl functionalized hexagonal mesoporous silica could be considered as promising device for drug bioanalysis.

Phosphinite-functionalized silica and hexagonal mesoporous silica containing palladium nanoparticles in Heck coupling reaction: synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity

The preparation of phosphinite-functionalized silica and hexagonal mesoporous silica containing palladium nanoparticles is described. These catalysts were explored as heterogeneous catalytic systems in HCR with different substrates.

One-step synthesis of a highly homogeneous SBA-NHC hybrid material: en route to single-site NHC-metal heterogeneous catalysts with high loadings

The one-step synthesis of a mesoporous silica of SBA type, functionalized with a 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3-propyl-imidazolium (iPr2Ar-NHC-propyl) cation located in the pore channels, is described. This material was obtained by the direct hydrolysis and co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]-imidazolium iodide in the presence of Pluronic P123 as a non-ionic structure-directing agent and aqueous HCl (37%) as an acid catalyst. Small-angle X-ray diffraction measurements, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, as well as dinitrogen sorption analyses revealed that the synthesized material is highly mesoporous with a 2D hexagonal arrangement of the porous network. (13)C and (29)Si CP-MAS NMR spectroscopy confirmed that the material contains intact iPr2Ar-NHC-propyl cations, which are covalently anchored via silicon atoms fused into the silica matrix. Moreover, comparison of the latter data with those of an analogous post-synthetic grafted SBA-NHC material allowed us to establish that, as expected, (i) it is most probably more homogeneous and (ii) it shows a more robust anchoring of the organic units. Finally, elemental mapping by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in the scanning electron microscope demonstrated a very homogeneous distribution of the imidazolium units within the one-pot material, moreover with a high content. This study thus demonstrates that a relatively bulky and hydrophilic imidazolium unit can be directly co-condensed with TEOS in the presence of a structure-directing agent to provide in a single step a highly ordered and homogeneous mesoporous hybrid SBA-NHC material, possessing a significant number of cationic NHC sites.

Tuning the hydrophobicity of mesoporous silica materials for the adsorption of organic pollutant in aqueous solution

The ability of various as-prepared and organically modified MCM-41 and HMS mesoporous silica materials to behave as efficient adsorbents for organic pollutants in aqueous solution was investigated by using different surface functionalization procedures, so as to adjust their hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance. The hydrophilic and organophilic properties of the parent silica materials and their corresponding surface functionalized counterparts were studied by using water and toluene adsorption isotherms. Their quantification was determined by the hydrophobic static index value (HI(static)), as well as by the silanol and organic group densities after the functionalization step. A clear correlation could be found between the HI(static) values and either the superficial silanol density, or the amount of organic moieties grafted or incorporated to the silica materials. For the highly organically functionalized samples, the residual superficial silanol groups (<50%) are sufficiently isolated from each other so as to prevent the water capillary condensation within the pores, thereby leading to an increased hydrophobic character of the resulting mesoporous silica. Those hydrophobic samples, for which the water liquid meniscus formation within the mesopores was minimized or avoided, exhibited a storage capacity for an organic pollutant (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, DEET) in aqueous solution more than 20 times higher than that of the corresponding unmodified sample, independently of the silica nature (MCM-41 or HMS). For all calcined and silylated samples, the DEET maximum adsorption capacities determined by the Langmuir model could be correlated with the silica surface coverage by trimethylsilyl groups and thus with the remaining silanol amount.

Zinc(II) silsesquioxane complexes and their application for the ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide

In this Communication, we report the unprecedented solid-state structures for a series of zinc(II) silsesquioxane complexes. Initial catalytic data for the ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide are also presented together with analogous heterogeneous species.

Organically modified silica: synthesis and applications due to its surface interaction with organic molecules

Silica gels can be chemically modified using organic precursors producing organically modified silica (ORMOSIL), a class of novel materials for hosting varieties of organic and inorganic substrates. Ormosil matrixed materials show an enhanced activity during catalysis, photochemical activities like absorption and emission, electrochemical sensitivities, sensing of gases, solvents, pH of solution and biomolecules, etc. Ormosil-based materials can be used as efficient protective coatings and can be utilized in designing wave guides that can carry out excellent photonic transmission of information. The synthetic and chemical modification of ormosil and some of the above applications have been discussed.

Adsorption of formaldehyde vapor by amine-functionalized mesoporous silica materials

The amine-functionalized mesoporous silica materials were prepared via the co-condensation reaction of tetraethoxysilane and three types of organoalkoxysilanes: 3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane, n-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, and 3-(2-(2-aminoehtylamino)ethylamino) propyl-trimethoxysilane. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was used as a template for forming pores. Specific surface area and pore volume of the amine-functionalized mesoporous silica materials were determined using surface area and pore size analyzer. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscope was employed for identifying the functional groups on pore surface. In addition, the amine-functionalized mesoporous silica materials were applied as adsorbents for adsorbing formaldehyde vapor. FTIR spectra showed the evidence of the reaction between formaldehyde molecules and amine groups on pore surface of adsorbents. The equilibrium data of formaldehyde adsorbed on the adsorbents were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm. The sample functionalized from n-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane showed the highest adsorption capacity owing to its amine groups and the large pore diameter.

Rational design of solid catalysts for the selective use of glycerol as a natural organic building block

Glycerol is the main co-product of the vegetable oils industry (especially biodiesel). With the rapid development of oleochemistry, the production of glycerol is rapidly increasing and chemists are trying to find new applications of glycerol to encourage a better industrial development of vegetable oils. In this Review, attention is focused on the selective use of glycerol as a safe organic building block for organic chemistry. An overview is given of the different heterogeneous catalytic routes developed by chemists for the successful and environmentally friendly use of glycerol in sustainable organic chemistry. In particular, the effects of different catalyst structural parameters are discussed to clearly highlight how catalysis can help organic chemists to overcome the drawbacks stemming from the use of glycerol as a safe organic building block. It is shown that heterogeneous catalysis offers efficient routes for bypassing the traditional use of highly toxic and expensive epichlorohydrin, 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol, or glycidol, which are usually used as a glyceryl donor in organic chemistry.

Mesoporous silica originating from a gaseous ammonia epoxide ring opening and the thermodynamic data on some divalent cation adsorptions

An organofunctionalized mesoporous HMS-like compound has been synthesized by reacting the silylating agent 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane with gaseous ammonia. The reaction path leads to the opening of the three membered epoxide ring to incorporate ammonia to give the modified silylating agent. This new silylating agent was used to synthesize a mesostructure inorganic-organic hybrid through the neutral template directing agent, dodecylamine, using a co-condensation process, and exploring the ability of the silicon source tetraethoxysilane. The final solid named HMS-NH has been characterized through elemental analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, nitrogen gas adsorption, infrared spectroscopy and solid state NMR for the 29Si nucleus. An amount of 1.06+/-0.10 mmol of pendant groups is covalently bonded to the inorganic backbone. The attached basic centers adsorbed divalent cations to give the maxima adsorption capacity of 0.74+/-0.03, 0.55+/-0.06, 0.53+/-0.05 and 0.51+/-0.06 mmolg(-1) for copper, nickel, zinc and cobalt, respectively. From calorimetric determinations the quantitative thermal effects for all these cation/basic center interactions gave exothermic enthalpy, negative Gibbs free energy and positive entropy. These thermodynamic data confirmed the energetically favorable condition of such interactions at the solid/liquid interface for all systems.

Preparation, characterization, and Zn2+ adsorption behavior of chemically modified MCM-41 with 5-mercapto-1-methyltetrazole

A mesoporous silica (MCM-41) has been chemically modified with 5-mercapto-1-methyltetrazole using the homogeneous route. This synthetic route involved the reaction of 5-mercapto-1-methyltetrazole with 3-chloropropyltriethoxysilane prior to immobilization on the support. The resulting material (MTTZ-MCM-41) has been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen gas sorption, FT-IR and MAS NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and elemental analysis. The solid was employed as a Zn(II) adsorbent from aqueous solutions at room temperature. The effect of several variables (stirring time, pH, metal concentration, addition of ethanol, presence of other metals in the medium) has been studied using batch and column techniques. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determine the Zn(II) concentration in the filtrate or in the eluted solution after the adsorption process. Results obtained indicate that under the optimum conditions (pH 8 and 2 h stirring time), the maximum adsorption value for Zn(II) was 1.59+/-0.01 mmol/g, whereas the adsorption capacity of the unmodified mesoporous silica was about 0.010+/-0.001 mmol/g. On the other hand, the Zn(II) adsorption on the MTTZ-MCM-41 was independent of the presence of ethanol and other metals (Cu(II), Mn(II), Ca(II), and Mg(II)) in the medium. Finally, experiments carried out in order to study the regeneration capacity of the MTTZ-MCM-41 revealed that the adsorption capacity of this material was maintained after 3 cycles of the adsorption/desorption process.

Functionalized HMS mesoporous silica as solid phase extractant for Pb(II) prior to its determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

In this work, a mesoporous silica has been chemically modified with 5-mercapto-1-methyl-1-H-tetrazol using the homogeneous route (MTTZ-HMS). This synthetic route involved the reaction of 5-mercapto-1-methyl-1-H-tetrazol with 3-chloropropyltriethoxysilane, prior to immobilization on the support. The resulting material has been characterized and employed as solid phase extractant for Pb(II). The effect of several variables (stirring time, pH, temperature, metal concentration, presence of other metals) has been studied using batch and column techniques. In batch experiments, 15 min stirring time, 55 degrees C and pH 8 were the optimal conditions for Pb(II) adsorption. In column experiments, sorption was quantitative for 1000 mL of 2.41 x 10(-4 )mM of Pb(II) solution and adsorbed ions were eluted out by 5 mL of 1 M HCl (preconcentration factor of 200). Spiked tap water was used for the preconcentration and determination of Pb(II) by flame atomic absorption spectrometry, and a 100% recovery was obtained. The LOD and LOQ values of the proposed method were found to be 3.52 x 10(-3) and 4.20 x 10(-3 )mM, respectively. The RSD for three preconcentration experiments was found to be <or= 2%. The linear working range for measurements was between 2 x 10(-3 )and 0.14 mM (y = 0.0136x + 0.0007, R(2 )= 0.9999).

New approach to the immobilization of glucose oxidase on non-porous silica microspheres functionalized by (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS)

The immobilization and encapsulation of glucose oxidase (GOD) onto the mesoporous and the non-porous silica spheres prepared by co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) in the water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion system were studied. The terminal amine group was used as the important functionality for GOD immobilization on the silica substrate. When only TEOS is used as a silica source, the disordered mesoporous silica microspheres are obtained. As the molar ratio of APTMS to TEOS (R(AT)) increases, the surface area and pore volume of the silica particles measured by nitrogen adsorption and desorption method and SEM decrease rapidly. Particularly, the largest change of the surface morphology is observed between R(AT)=0.20 and R(AT)=0.25. The amount and the adsorption time of immobilized enzyme were measured by UV spectroscopy. About 20wt% of GOD was immobilized into the silica substrates above R(AT)=0.60 and was completely adsorbed into the substrate of R(AT)=0.80 with lapse of 4h after addition. In the measurement of the thermal stability, GOD dissolved in buffer solution loses nearly all of its activity after 30 min at 65 degrees C. In contrast, GOD immobilized on the surface-modified silica particles still retains about 90% of its activity after the same treatment. At this temperature, the immobilized glucose oxidase retained half of its initial activity after 4h. It is shown that the suitable usage of functionalizing agent like APTMS as well as the control of surface morphology is very important on the immobilization of enzyme.

Silica-Based Mesoporous Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Materials

Mesoporous organic-inorganic hybrid materials, a new class of materials characterized by large specific surface areas and pore sizes between 2 and 15 nm, have been obtained through the coupling of inorganic and organic components by template synthesis. The incorporation of functionalities can be achieved in three ways: by subsequent attachment of organic components onto a pure silica matrix (grafting), by simultaneous reaction of condensable inorganic silica species and silylated organic compounds (co-condensation, one-pot synthesis), and by the use of bissilylated organic precursors that lead to periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs). This Review gives an overview of the preparation, properties, and potential applications of these materials in the areas of catalysis, sorption, chromatography, and the construction of systems for controlled release of active compounds, as well as molecular switches, with the main focus being on PMOs.

Copper tellurolate clusters in trimethylsilylated MCM-41 — Preparation and condensation

The copper tellurolate cluster [(Cu6(TePh)6(PEtPh2)5] (1) has been loaded into the pores of a trimethylsilylated MCM-41 (TMS–MCM-41) framework. Solutions of 1 in tetrahydrofuran lead to good impregnation weight % (~10 wt%, 1). The resulting material was analysed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), nitrogen sorption isotherms, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, 31P CP MAS NMR spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was observed that the loading process proceeds with the intact cluster 1 being present within the hexagonal architecture. The intact nature of 1 makes it an ideal candidate for condensation by photochemical or thermal means. Both of these condensation treatments increase the Cu:Te ratio of 1 to approach that observed in binary semiconductor Cu2Te. The condensation process was analysed by GC–MS spectrometry and characterization of the condensed, isolated composites was performed by TGA, EDX analysis, 31P CP MAS NMR spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption, and TEM measurements. Thermal condensation results in the formation of Cu2Te particles, whereas photochemical condensation yields larger copper-tellurolate nanoclusters.Key words: copper, tellurium, cluster, MCM-41, trimethylsilylated, photolysis, thermolysis, Cu2Te, composite, mesoporous material.

Preparation of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole-derivatized mesoporous silica and removal of Hg(ii) from aqueous solution

Mesoporous silicas (SBA-15 and MCM-41) have been functionalized by two different methods. Using the heterogeneous route the silylating agent, 3-chloropropyltriethoxysilane, was initially immobilized onto the mesoporous silica surface to give the chlorinated mesoporous silica Cl-SBA-15 or Cl-MCM-41. In a second reaction a multifunctionalized N,S donor compound (2-mercaptobenzothiazol) was incorporated to obtain the functionalized silicas denoted as MBT-SBA-15-Het and MBT-MCM-41-Het. Using the homogeneous route, the functionalization was achieved via the one step reaction of the mesoporous silica with an organic ligand containing the chelating functions, to give the modified mesoporous silicas denoted as MBT-SBA-15-Hom or MBT-MCM-41-Hom. The functionalized mesoporous silicas were employed as adsorbents for the regeneration of aqueous solutions at pH 6 contaminated with Hg(ii) at room temperature. Results obtained indicate that mercury adsorption was higher in the mesoporus silicas prepared by the homogeneous method, and the maximum adsorption value (0.24 +/- 0.02 mmol Hg(ii) g(-1)) was obtained for MBT-SBA-15-Hom. The chemically stability in acid medium of the functionalized silicas, possibility its regeneration washing with concentrate HCl, resulting in the reuse of the adsorbent material for several cycles.

Direct Synthesis and Catalytic Applications of Ordered Large Pore Aminopropyl-Functionalized SBA-15 Mesoporous Materials

SBA-15 mesoporous silica has been functionalized with aminopropyl groups through a simple co-condensation approach of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) using amphiphilic block copolymers under acidic conditions. The organic-modified SBA-15 materials have hexagonal crystallographic order, pore diameter up to 60 A, and the content of aminopropyl groups up to 2.3 mmol g(-1). The influences of TEOS prehydrolysis period and APTES concentration on the crystallographic order, pore size, surface area, and pore volume were examined. TEOS prehydrolysis prior to the addition of APTES was found essential to obtain well-ordered mesoporous materials with amino functionality. The amount of APTES incorporated in the silica framework increased with the APTES concentration in the synthesis gel, while the ordering of the mesoporous structure gradually decreased. Analysis with TG, IR, and solid state NMR spectra demonstrated that the aminopropyl groups incorporated in SBA-15 were not decomposed during the preparation procedure and the surfactant P123 was fully removed through ethanol extraction. The modified SBA-15 was an excellent base catalyst in Knoevenagel and Michael addition reactions.

Novel mesoporous silica–perfluorosulfonic acid hybrids as strong heterogeneous Brønsted catalysts

Perfluorinated sulfonic acids have been immobilised into mesoporous silica frameworks by a one-step process, representing the first example of the successful incorporation of charged silanes using this route, and have been shown to be excellent catalysts for Brønsted acid catalysed transformations.