Evolution of large stokes shift and non-radiative energy transfer phenomenon in sustainable blue-fluorescent CQDs upon subnanomolar detection of Acebrophylline

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have emerged as powerful fluorescent sensors for identifying harmful compounds in environmental and biological samples, due to their robust and adjustable emission characteristics. In this study, we explore CQDs (size ∼ 3 nm), as a probe, derived from Walnut Shell (WS) biomass waste for detecting Acebrophylline (AB), a respiratory disease medicine. From the selectivity studies, the calculated energy transfer between the CQDs (10 mM; donor) and AB (10 mM; acceptor) was found to be 64 %, attributed to the formation of a ground state complex, CQDs + AB. The CQDs demonstrated high selectivity and sensitivity to AB in concentrations between 1-100 μM with a detection limit of 0.142 nM (R2 = 0.991, Ka = 1.39194 × 10-3 M-1). Time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) experiments validated the static quenching of CQDs (3.46 → 3.71 ns) when exposed to AB. The proposed detection method was successfully applied for detecting AB in human urine samples with a good recovery percentage (81 to 123 %; RSD ca. 1 %). After AB sensing, changes in the CQDs' crystalline nature, elemental composition, and chemical state were examined using XRD, XPS, and FTIR spectroscopy. Microscopy imaging techniques (FESEM, HRTEM, and AFM) confirmed morphological changes of CQDs from spherical to agglomerated with an average diameter of approximately 14 nm. Additionally, the impact of time, pH, and interferons on AB sensing was investigated. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity and in vivo bioimaging studies on zebrafish were also performed. This study highlights several advantages, including a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach for healthcare applications.

Diclofenac Ion Hydration: Experimental and Theoretical Search for Anion Pairs

Self-assembly of organic ions in aqueous solutions is a hot topic at the present time, and substances that are well-soluble in water are usually studied. In this work, aqueous solutions of sodium diclofenac are investigated, which, like most medicinal compounds, is poorly soluble in water. Classical MD modeling of an aqueous solution of diclofenac sodium showed equilibrium between the hydrated anion and the hydrated dimer of the diclofenac anion. The assignment and interpretation of the bands in the UV, NIR, and IR spectra are based on DFT calculations in the discrete-continuum approximation. It has been shown that the combined use of spectroscopic methods in various frequency ranges with classical MD simulations and DFT calculations provides valuable information on the association processes of medical compounds in aqueous solutions. Additionally, such a combined application of experimental and calculation methods allowed us to put forward a hypothesis about the mechanism of the effect of diclofenac sodium in high dilutions on a solution of diclofenac sodium.

Solid-State Fluorescence of A Quasi-Isostructural Polymorphic Biphenyl Based Michael Addition Product

Polymorphic materials have gained significant attention owing to their fascinating physicochemical properties. Herein, a biphenyl based Michael addition product (Compound A) with an active methylene group (dimedone) was synthesized. Compound...

Combined X-ray Crystallographic, IR/Raman Spectroscopic, and Periodic DFT Investigations of New Multicomponent Crystalline Forms of Anthelmintic Drugs: A Case Study of Carbendazim Maleate

Synthesis of multicomponent solid forms is an important method of modifying and fine-tuning the most critical physicochemical properties of drug compounds. The design of new multicomponent pharmaceutical materials requires reliable information about the supramolecular arrangement of molecules and detailed description of the intermolecular interactions in the crystal structure. It implies the use of a combination of different experimental and theoretical investigation methods. Organic salts present new challenges for those who develop theoretical approaches describing the structure, spectral properties, and lattice energy Elatt. These crystals consist of closed-shell organic ions interacting through relatively strong hydrogen bonds, which leads to Elatt > 200 kJ/mol. Some technical problems that a user of periodic (solid-state) density functional theory (DFT) programs encounters when calculating the properties of these crystals still remain unsolved, for example, the influence of cell parameter optimization on the Elatt value, wave numbers, relative intensity of Raman-active vibrations in the low-frequency region, etc. In this work, various properties of a new two-component carbendazim maleate crystal were experimentally investigated, and the applicability of different DFT functionals and empirical Grimme corrections to the description of the obtained structural and spectroscopic properties was tested. Based on this, practical recommendations were developed for further theoretical studies of multicomponent organic pharmaceutical crystals.

Interplay of π-stacking and inter-stacking interactions in two-component crystals of neutral closed-shell aromatic compounds: periodic DFT study

This paper bridges the gap between high-level ab initio computations of gas-phase models of 1 : 1 arene–arene complexes and calculations of the two-component (binary) organic crystals using atom–atom potentials. The studied crystals consist of electron-rich and electron-deficient compounds, which form infinite stacks (columns) of heterodimers. The sublimation enthalpy of crystals has been evaluated by DFT periodic calculations, while intermolecular interactions have been characterized by Bader analysis of the periodic electronic density. The consideration of aromatic compounds without a dipole moment makes it possible to reveal the contribution of quadrupole–quadrupole interactions to the π-stacking energy. These interactions are significant for heterodimers formed by arenes with more than 2 rings, with absolute values of the traceless quadrupole moment (Q_zz) larger than 10 D Å. The further aggregation of neighboring stacks is due to the C–H⋯F interactions in arene/perfluoroarene crystals. In crystals consisting of arene and an electron-deficient compound such as pyromellitic dianhydride, aggregation occurs due to the C–H⋯O interactions. The C–H⋯F and C–H⋯O inter-stacking interactions make the main contribution to the sublimation enthalpy, which exceeds 150 kJ mol⁻¹ for the two-component crystals formed by arenes with more than 2 rings.

The interplay of π-stacking and inter-stacking interactions in two-component organic crystals without conventional hydrogen bonds.