Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc Oxide and Zinc Oxide Doped with Chlorine Nanoparticles as Novel <i>α</i>-Amylase Inhibitors

In this study we used a chemical solution method from oxalic acid (OX. acid) and zinc acetate (ZnAc) to prepare Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and Zinc Oxide nanoparticles doped with Chlorine (Cl:ZnONPs). The characterizations (FTIR, X-ray, SEM, TEM) of ZnONPs and Cl:ZnONPs were determined. Amylase inhibitors of ZnONPs and Cl:ZnONPs also were determined. SEM indicated that the ZnONPs and Cl:ZnONPs have an average particle size of 46.65 - 74.64 nm. TEM images of the ZnONPs and Cl:ZnONPs showed the round shaped. Compounds b, d and e exhibited significant inhibitory activity against amylase enzyme (from 69.21 ± 1.44 to 76.32 ± 0.78), respectively, and were comparable with that of acarbose (86.32 ± 0.63) at 1000 μg, thereby, projecting ZnONPs and Cl:ZnONPs as α-amylase inhibitors.

Removal of C.I.Reactive Red 2 by low pressure UV/chlorine advanced oxidation

Azo dyes are commonly found as pollutants in wastewater from the textile industry,and can cause environmental problems because of their color and toxicity.The removal of a typical azo dye named C.I.Reactive Red 2（RR2） during low pressure ultraviolet（UV）/chlorine oxidation was investigated in this study.UV irradiation at 254 nm and addition of free chlorine provided much higher removal rates of RR2 and color than UV irradiation or chlorination alone.Increasing the free chlorine dose enhanced the removal efficiency of RR2 and color by UV/chlorine oxidation.Experiments performed with nitrobenzene（NB）or benzoic acid（BA） as scavengers showed that radicals（especially OH） formed during UV/chlorine oxidation are important in the RR2 removal.Addition of HCO_3^- and Cl^- to the RR2 solution did not inhibit the removal of RR2 during UV/chlorine oxidation.

Study of removal effect on Mesocyclops leukarti with oxidants

Cyclops of zooplankton propagates prolifically in eutrophic waterbody and it cannot be exterminated by conventional disinfection process. The mutagenicity of Mesocyclops leukarti and its extermination with oxidants in a drinking waterworks in China were studied. Among five oxidants for use in bench-scale, chlorine dioxide is the most effective and the potassium per-manganate is the weakest against Mesocyclops leukarti under the same conditions. Full-scale results showed that Mesocyclops leukarti could be effectively removed from water by 1.0 mg/L chlorine dioxide preoxidation combined with conventional removal physical process. After filtration, chlorite, a by-product of prechlorine dioxide, is stable at 0.45 mg/L, which is lower than the critical value of the USEPA. GC-MS examination and Ames test further showed that the quantity of organic substance and the mutagenicity in water treated by chlorine dioxide preoxidation are obviously less than those of prechlorination.

N-doped carbon dots coupled NiFe-LDH hybrids for robust electrocatalytic alkaline water and seawater oxidation

Electrolysis of seawater offers a highly promising and sustainable route to attain carbon-neutral hydrogen energy without demanding on high-purity water resource.However,it is severely limited by the undesirable chlorine oxidation reaction(ClOR)on the anode and the releasing toxic chlorine species,inducing anode corrosion and multiple pollutions to reduce the efficiency and sustainability of this technology.The effective way is to limit the overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)below 480 mV and thus suppress the ClOR.Herein,we demonstrate that nitrogen-doped carbon dots strongly coupled NiFe layered double hydroxide nanosheet arrays on Ni foam(N-CDs/NiFe-LDH/NF)can efficiently facilitate OER with an ultralow overpotential of 260 mV to deliver the geometric current density of 100 mA·cm^(−2)and a Tafel slope of as low as 43.4 mV·dec−1 in 1.0 M KOH.More importantly,the N-CDs/NiFe-LDH/NF electrode at 100 mA·cm^(−2)shows overpotentials of 285 and 273 mV,respectively,by utilizing 1.0 M KOH with 0.5 M NaCl and 1.0 M KOH with 1.0 M NaCl as the simulated seawater,well avoid triggering ClOR.Notably,despite the complex environment of real seawater,N-CDs/NiFe-LDH/NF still effectively promotes alkaline seawater(1.0 M KOH+seawater)electrolysis with a lifetime longer than 50 and 20 h,respectively,in 1.0 M KOH and alkaline seawater electrolytes.The investigation result reveals that M–N–C bonding generated between N-CDs and NiFe-LDH intrinsically optimizes the charge transfer efficiency,further promoting the OER kinetics.

Enhanced catalytic complete oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane over mesoporous transition metal-doped γ-Al_2O_3

High-surface-area mesoprous powders of γ-Al2O3 doped with Cu^2＋, Cr^3＋, and V^3＋ ions were prepared uia a modified sol-gel method and were investigated as catalysts for the oxidation of chlorinated organic compounds. The composites retained high surface areas and pore volumes comparable with those of undoped γ-Al2O3 and the presence of the transition metal ions enhanced their surface acidic properties. The catalytic activity of the prepared catalysts in the oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane （DCE） was studied in the temperature range of 250-400℃. The catalytic activity and product selectivity were strongly dependent on the presence and the type of dopant ion. While Cu^2＋- and Cr^3＋-containing catalysts showed 100% conversion at 300℃ and 350℃, V3＋-containing catalyst showed considerably lower conversion. Furthermore, while the major products of the reactions over γ-alumina were vinyl chloride （C2H3Cl） and hydrogen chloride （HCl） at all temperatures, Cu- and Cr-doped catalysts showed siguiticantly stronger capability for deep oxidation to CO2.

Advancements in Seawater Electrolysis:Progressing from Fundamental Research to Applied Electrolyzer Application

Seawater electrolysis(SWE)provides a promising and efficient pathway to produce green hydrogen.However,the current SWE technology confronts a lot of challenges,such as the sluggish reaction kinetics on the anode side,and a lot of impurities and ions in seawater that poison the active sites of the catalyst and block membrane pores.In addition,the existence of chloride ions(Cl−)in seawater will strongly compete with oxygen evolution reaction(OER)by the chlorine oxidation/evolution reaction(ClOR/ClER)on the anode side as a result of the extremely similar thermodynamic potentials.Thus,to move SWE much closer to commercialization,it is highly desirable to enhance not only the activity of electrocatalysts but also the selectivity and stability of efficient OER to restrain ClOR/ClER.At the same time,the additive of electrolytes and the unique structural design of the electrolyzer also promote the development of SWE.In this review,the fundamental mechanisms for SWE and water electrolysis are first introduced and compared.Then,the design principles of efficient catalysts,electrolytes,surface/interface engineering,and novelty reaction device are critically,comprehensively summarized and analyzed.Finally,perspectives,challenges,and opportunities to develop and boost SWE technologies are proposed.

An efficient chlorination of aromatic compounds using a catalytic amount of iodobenzene

An efficient method was developed for chlorination of aromatic compounds with electron-donating groups using iodobenzene as the catalyst and m-chloroperbenzoic acid as the terminal oxidant in the presence of 4-methylbenzenesulfonic acid in THF at room temperature for 24 h,and a series of the monochlorinated compounds was obtained in good yields.In this protocol,the catalyst iodobenzene was first oxidized into the hypervalent iodine intermediate,which then treated with lithium chloride and finally reacted with aromatic compounds to form the chlorinated compounds.