Physiological and biochemical response of plants to engineered NMs: Implications on future design

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) form the basis of a great number of commodities that are used in several areas including energy, coatings, electronics, medicine, chemicals and catalysts, among others. In addition, these materials are being explored for agricultural purposes. For this reason, the amount of ENMs present as nanowaste has significantly increased in the last few years, and it is expected that ENMs levels in the environment will increase even more in the future. Because plants form the basis of the food chain, they may also function as a point-of-entry of ENMs for other living systems. Understanding the interactions of ENMs with the plant system and their role in their potential accumulation in the food chain will provide knowledge that may serve as a decision-making framework for the future design of ENMs. The purpose of this paper was to provide an overview of the current knowledge on the transport and uptake of selected ENMs, including Carbon Based Nanomaterials (CBNMs) in plants, and the implication on plant exposure in terms of the effects at the macro, micro, and molecular level. We also discuss the interaction of ENMs with soil microorganisms. With this information, we suggest some directions on future design and areas where research needs to be strengthened. We also discuss the need for finding models that can predict the behavior of ENMs based on their chemical and thermodynamic nature, in that few efforts have been made within this context.

Synthesis and Characterization of New Palladium(II) Complexes Containing N-Alkylamino-3,5-diphenylpyrazole Ligands. Crystal Structure of [PdCl(L2)](BF4) {L2 = Bis[2-(3,5-diphenyl-1-pyrazolyl)ethyl]ethylamine}

In this paper, the synthesis of two new N,N′,N-ligands, bis[2-(3,5-diphenyl-1-pyrazolyl)ethyl]amine (L1) and bis[2-(3,5-diphenyl-1-pyrazolyl)ethyl]ethylamine (L2) is reported. These ligands form complexes with the formula [PdCl(N,N′,N)]Cl when reacting with [PdCl2(CH3CN)2] in a 1:1 metal-to-ligand molar ratio. Treatment of these ligands with [PdCl2(CH3CN)2] in a 1:1 metal-to-ligand molar ratio in the presence of AgBF4 or NaBF4 gave [PdCl(N,N′,N)](BF4) complexes. These PdII complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, conductivity measurements, mass spectrometry, and IR, 1H, and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopies. The X-ray structure of the complex [PdCl(L2)](BF4) has been determined. The metal atom is coordinated by two azine nitrogen atoms and one amine nitrogen atom of the aminopyrazole ligand. The distorted square planar coordination is completed by one chlorine atom. In this complex, intermolecular π–π stacking interactions are present.