Comparative Study of the Efficacy of Metal Removal from Contaminated Aqueous Solutions by Solid Bidentate Ligands&Liquid Plant Materials

Heavy metal contaminated water sources pose serious health risks for humans,animals,and plants.Exposure to and ingestion of heavy metals have been associated to liver,kidney,and brain function.Objective:The aim of this research is to comparatively examine the metal removal efficacy of three solid bidentate chemicals and four plant materials.Study Design&Methods:Standard solutions of zinc(II)and lead(II)ions with concentrations of 1,000 ppm were respectively treated with OA(Oxalic Acid),dibasic bidentate ligands(sodium hydrogen phosphate and sodium carbonate).Then,the solutions were placed on a shaker for 15 h,centrifuged,and the supernatant was analyzed using ICP-AES(Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry).Results:All the solid bidentate adsorbents were very effective in removing zinc and lead(>90%).However,more lead than zinc was removed across all adsorbents except for lemon where equal percent of zinc and lead(49%)were removed.OA and Na2HPO4 removed about equal amount of lead(>99%).The plant materials(SP(Spinach),bell pepper and GBP(Green Bell Pepper)),respectively and preferentially removed more lead(98.9%,98.3%,81.5%)than zinc(91.7%,46%,46%).Conclusion:Although plant materials have gained attraction for the remediation of heavy metal,however,some bidentate chemical ligands such as OA,sodium carbonate and sodium hydrogen phosphates are even more effective in removing these metals from contaminated water.Furthermore,heavier metals are preferentially removed than lighter metals.

Unraveling structure and performance of protein a ligands at liquid–solid interfaces: A multi-techniques analysis

Oriented ligand immobilization is one of the most effective strategies used in the design and construction of a high-capacity protein A chromatography. In this work, cysteine was introduced as anchoring sites by substituting a specific residue on Helix Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and at C-terminus of antibody binding domain Z from protein A, respectively, to investigate structural evolution and binding behavior of protein A ligands at liquid-solid interfaces. Among the three affinity dextran-coated Fe_(3)O_(4) magnetic nanoparticles(Fe_(3)O_(4)@Dx MNPs), affinity MNPs with the immobilized ligand via N11C on Helix Ⅰ(Fe_(3)O_(4)@Dx-Z_(1) MNPs) had the highest helical content, and MNPs with the immobilized ligand via G29C on Helix Ⅱ(Fe_(3)O_(4)@Dx-Z_(2) MNPs) had the lowest helical content at the same pHs. It was attributed to less electrostatic attraction of ligand to negatively charged surface on Fe_(3)O_(4)@Dx-Z_(1) MNPs because of less positive charged residues on Helix Ⅰ(K6) than Helix Ⅱ(R27/K35). Among the three affinity MNPs, moreover, the highest affinity to immunoglobulin G(IgG) binding was observed on Fe_(3)O_(4)@Dx-Z_(1) MNPs in isothermal titration calorimetry measurement, further validating greater structural integrity of the ligand on Fe_(3)O_(4)@Dx-Z_(1) MNPs. Finally,the study of IgG binding on MNPs and 96-well plates showed that anchoring sites for ligand immobilization had distinct influences on IgG binding and IgG-mediated antigen binding. This work illustrated that anchoring sites of the ligands had a striking significance for the molecular structure of the ligand at liquid-solid interfaces and raised an important implication for the design and optimization of protein A chromatography and protein A-based immunoassay analysis.

A fast and in-depth self-reconstruction of anion ligands optimized CoFe-based pre-catalysts for water oxidation

The design of efficient and robust non-precious metal electrocatalysts towards oxygen evolution reaction(OER)is of great value for developing green energy technologies.The in-situ formed high-valence(oxy)hydroxides species during the reconstruction process of pre-catalysts are recognized as the real contributing sites for OER.However,pre-catalysts generally undergo a slow and inadequate self-reconstruction.Herein,we reported a PO^(3-)_(4)optimized CoFe-based OER catalysts with amorphous structure,which enables a fast and deep reconstruction during the OER process.The amorphous structure induced by ligands PO^(3-)_(4)is prone to evolution and further form active species for OER.The electron interaction between metal sites can be modulated by electron-rich PO^(3-)_(4),which promotes generation of high active CoOOH.Simultaneously,the etching of PO^(3-)_(4)from the pre-catalysts during the catalytic process is in favor of accelerating the self-reconstruction.As a result,as-prepared precatalyst can generate high active CoOOH at a low potential of 1.4 V and achieve an in-depth reconstructed nanosheet structure with abundant OER active sites.Our work provides a promising design of pre-catalysts for realizing efficient catalysis of water oxidation.

Metal-organic frameworks with mixed-ligands strategy as heterogeneous nucleation center to assist crystallization for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

Deep-level defects and random oriented configuration in perovskite crystallization process would cause the nonradiative recombination and further affect the performance of perovskite solar cells(PSCs).Herein,two metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)with tunable Lewis-base passivation sites have been constructed(Cd-Httb and Cd-Httb-BDC,Httb=5-(4-(1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)benzyl)-1h-tetrazole,BDC=1,4-dicarboxybenzene)to eliminate deep-level defects and simultaneously as nanostructured heterogeneous nucleation seed to assist the growth of large-grained perovskite films.Compared with the control and Cd-Httb,Cd-Httb-BDC designed with mix-ligands strategy exhibited the enhanced inducted effect on the crystallization and nucleation of high-quality perovskite films during annealing process.Consequently,the resultant Cd-Httb-BDC-modified device achieved higher power conversion efficiency(PCE)(22.18%)than the control(20.89%)and Cd-Httb(21.56%).Meanwhile,the unencapsulated Cd-Httb-BDC-modified device still maintained 90%of initial PCE after 1500 h in ambient conditions and exhibited enhanced thermal stability(85℃ in N_(2) atmosphere).This work presented a successful example of mixligands strategy on construction of high-quality MOF-assisted perovskite films for high-efficient and stable PSCs.

Controllably partial removal of thiolate ligands from unsupported Au_(25) nanoclusters by rapid thermal treatments for electrochemical CO_(2)reduction

Colloidal synthesis of metal nanoclusters will inevitably lead to the blockage of catalytically active sites by organic ligands.Here,taking[Au_(25)(PET)_(18)]-(PET=2-phenylethanethiol)nanocluster as a model catalyst,this work reports a feasible procedure to achieve the controllably partial removal of thiolate ligands from unsupported[Au_(25)(PET)_(18)]-nanoclusters with the preservation of the core structure.This procedure shortens the processing duration by rapid heating and cooling on the basis of traditional annealing treatment,avoiding the reconfiguration or agglomeration of Au_(25)nanoclusters,where the degree of dethiolation can be regulated by the control of duration.This work finds that a moderate degree of dethiolation can expose the Au active sites while maintaining the suppression of the competing hydrogen evolution reaction.Consequently,the activity and selectivity towards CO formation in electrochemical CO_(2)reduction reaction of Au_(25)nanoclusters can be promoted.This work provides a new approach for the removal of thiolate ligands from atomically precise gold nanoclusters.

In Silico Evaluation of Potential Ligands of Cancer Cells for Surfactin from Bacillus spp.

Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide,which causes significant morbidity and mortality.Designing and developing a potential anti-cancer drug is an active field of research worldwide.Microorganisms have been considered a potential source of anti-cancer drugs.One such microbe-derived compound is surfactin,which shows potential anti-cancer activities.In this study,we evaluated the binding potential of surfactin with several cancer cell ligands via an in-silico approach.Hence,molecular docking studies were performed to test the binding potential of surfactin against four targets.The analyses revealed that surfactin from Bacillus sp.can bind with the targeted ligands(coenzyme A,D-leucine,glycerol,and(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanal)with significant affinity.Surfactin showed the highest binding affinity(-7.7 kcal mol-1)to coenzyme A among the targeted ligands.These results may be useful for developing anti-cancer drugs.Nevertheless,further experimental studies are needed to investigate the ligand binding capacity and anti-cancer potential of such surfactin-like molecules.

Ligand modulation of active center to promote lead-free Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)photocatalytic CO_(2)reduction

Metal halide perovskites(MHP)are potential candidates for the photocatalytic reduction of CO_(2)due to their long photogenerated carrier lifetime and charge diffusion length.However,the conventional long-chain ligand impedes the adsorption and activation of CO_(2)molecules in practical applications.Here,a ligand modulation technology is employed to enhance the photocatalytic CO_(2)reduction activity of lead-free Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)microcrystals(MCs).The Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)MCs passivated by Oleic acid(OLA)and Octanoic acid(OCA)are used for photocatalytic CO_(2)reduction.The results show that the surface defects and electronic properties of Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)MCs can be adjusted through ligand modulation.Compared with the OLA-Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6),the OCA-Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)catalyst demonstrated a significant improvement in the catalytic yield of CO and CH_(4).The CO and CH_(4)catalytic yields of OCA-Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)reached 171.88 and34.15μmol g^(-1)h^(-1)which were 2.03 and 12.98 times higher than those of OLA-Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6),and the total electron consumption rate of OCA-Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)was 615.2μmol g^(-1)h^(-1)which was 3.25 times higher than that of OLA-Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6).Furthermore,in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra revealed the enhancement of photocatalytic activity in Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)MCs induced by ligand modulation.This study illustrates the potential of lead-free Cs_(2)AgInCl_(6)MCs for efficient photocatalytic CO_(2)reduction and provides a ligand modulation strategy for the active promotion of MHP photocatalysts.

Assessment of programmed death-ligand 1 expression in primary tumors and paired lymph node metastases of gastric adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND Anti-programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1(PD-1/PD-L1)immuno-therapy has demonstrated promising results on gastric cancer(GC).However,PD-L1 can express differently between metastatic sites and primary tumors(PT).AIM To compare PD-L1 status in PT and matched lymph node metastases(LNM)of GC patients and to determine the correlation between the PD-L1 status and clinicopathological characteristics.METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 284 GC patients who underwent D2-gastrectomy.PD-L1 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry(clone SP142)using the com-bined positive score.All PD-L1+PT staged as pN+were also tested for PD-L1 expression in their LNM.PD-L1(-)GC with pN+served as the comparison group.RESULTS Among 284 GC patients included,45 had PD-L1+PT and 24 of them had pN+.For comparison,44 PD-L1(-)cases with pN+were included(sample loss of 4 cases).Of the PD-L1+PT,54.2%(13/24 cases)were also PD-L1+in the LNM.Regarding PD-L1(-)PT,9.1%(4/44)had PD-L1+in the LNM.The agreement between PT and LNM had a kappa value of 0.483.Larger tumor size and moderate/severe peritumoral inflammatory response were associated with PD-L1 positivity in both sites.There was no statistical difference in overall survival for PT and LNM according to the PD-L1 status(P=0.166 and P=0.837,respectively).CONCLUSION Intra-patient heterogeneity in PD-L1 expression was observed between the PT and matched LNM.This disagreement in PD-L1 status may emphasize the importance of considering different tumor sites for analyses to select patients for immunotherapy.

Proton‑Prompted Ligand Exchange to Achieve High‑Efficiency CsPbI_(3) Quantum Dot Light‑Emitting Diodes

CsPbI_(3)perovskite quantum dots(QDs)are ideal materials for the next generation of red light-emitting diodes.However,the low phase stability of CsPbI_(3)QDs and long-chain insulating capping ligands hinder the improvement of device performance.Traditional in-situ ligand replacement and ligand exchange after synthesis were often difficult to control.Here,we proposed a new ligand exchange strategy using a proton-prompted insitu exchange of short 5-aminopentanoic acid ligands with long-chain oleic acid and oleylamine ligands to obtain stable small-size CsPbI_(3)QDs.This exchange strategy maintained the size and morphology of CsPbI_(3)QDs and improved the optical properties and the conductivity of CsPbI_(3)QDs films.As a result,high-efficiency red QD-based light-emitting diodes with an emission wavelength of 645 nm demonstrated a record maximum external quantum efficiency of 24.45%and an operational half-life of 10.79 h.

A Series of Lanthanide-organic Frameworks Constructed by Ln_4(OH)_4 Clusters and Mixed Ligands

Three new lanthanide-organic compounds, namely, [Ln_2(OH)_2(oba)(2-pc)_2]n(Ln =Er(1), Ho(2), and Dy(3))(oba = 4,4?-oxybis(benzoate), 2-pc = 2-pyrazinecarboxylic acid) have been obtained under hydrothermal conditions. These compounds are isostructural and exhibit 2 D layered structures by incorporating [Ln_4(μ_3-OH)_4]^(8+) clusters and the mixed linkers of oba and 2-pc. It is interesting that decarboxylation occurred in the ortho position and 2,3-pyrazinedicarboxylic acid was partially transformed into 2-pc under hydrothermal conditions. Compound 3 emits a typical Dy^(3+) emission spectrum. Furthermore, the PXRD, TGA and IR spectra were also studied.

Effects of Y(Ⅲ) Ions on the Fluorescence Properties of Ce(Ⅲ) Ion and the Organic Ligands in the Comp

The enhancement effects of Y ( Ⅲ) ions on the fluorescence of Ce ( Ⅲ) in Ce ( Ⅲ)-Y ( Ⅲ)-PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate ) or Ce ( Ⅲ)-Y ( Ⅲ)-PVC (polyvinyl chloride ) complex systems were observed. The influence of Y ( Ⅲ) ions on the emission spectra of PMMA ligands in PMMA-Y ( Ⅲ) and the fluorescent enhance- ment of Y( Ⅲ) on Ce( Ⅲ) emission in PMMA-Ce-Y by Y( Ⅲ) ion were studied. It was also of interest to note that when Y ( Ⅲ) ions were added into PMMA and into bpy(bipyridine ) , respectively , the emission spectrum of PMMA ligands was split into fine structure bands by Y ( Ⅲ) , and the fluorescence intensities of bpy ligands in bpy-Y ( Ⅲ) complexes were considerably increased.

A 2D Wavy Parquet Architecture Based on the Biphenyl-3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxylic Acid and Bis(2-benzimidazole)alkanes Ligands

A double-T-shaped ligand （H4BPTC） and bis（2-benzimidazole）alkanes as the spacers have been firstly used to direct the assembly of a 2D coordination polymer with wavy parquet network topology, [Zn（BPTC）0.5（H2C2EIm）（H2O）]n （1, C24H18ZnN4O5, Mr = 507.79, H4BPTC = biphenyl-3,3＇,4,4＇-tetracarboxylic acid, H2C2EIm = 2,2＇-（1,2-ethanediyl）-bis（1H-benzi- midazole）, which was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic system, space group P21/n with a = 1.1844（5）, b = 1.4019（5）, c = 1.4026（5） nm, β = 108.359（5）°, V = 2.2104（15） nm3, Z = 4, Dc = 1.526 g/cm3, μ（MoKα） = 1.156 mm-1, F（000） = 1040, S = 1.038, the final R = 0.0427 and wR = 0.0793 for 3834 reflections with I 2σ（I）. The compound units are linked through BPTC ligands into a wavilness parquet 2D layer and further connected into a 3D framework via π-π packing interactions between the adjacent H2C2EIm ligands and weak N-H…O hydrogen bonding between uncoordinated carboxylate and the nitrogen atoms of H2C2EIm as well as the free water molecules.

Synthesis and Characterization of Chiral Organogallium and Indium Complexes with Salen Ligands

Several new chiral organogallium and indium complexes with chiral Salen (1 and 2) as anxciliary ligands have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR and Mass spectroscopy. For the gallium, mono and bimetallic complexes were obtained, whereas ring closure complexes of indium were obtained.

Two Novel 2D Lanthanide-organic Frameworks Based on Different Carboxylate-containing Mixed Ligands

Two novel lanthanide-organic polymers [Er2（pdc）2（o-bdc）（H2O）2]·H2O（1,H2pdc = 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid,o-H2bdc = 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid） and Er（Himdc）（mbdc）0.5（H2O）（2,H3imdc = 4,5-imidazoledicarboxylic acid,m-H2bdc = 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid） have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis,IR,thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray single-crystal diffraction studies.1 crystallizes in monoclinic,space group P21/c,while 2 in the orthorhombic space group Pbcn.Both compounds 1 and 2 display two-dimensional network structures. For 1, the tetranuclear parallelogram {Era} cluster as a building block is further assembled into a wonderful 2D grid, and the layers are interconnected via hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interactions to yield a 3D supramolecular architecture; for 2, its configuration is a rare double-decker structure. These two complexes represent good examples for using mixcarboxylate-containing ligands to construct diverse 2D lanthanide coordination polymers.

Polydentate cyclotriphosphazene ligands:Design,synthesis and bioactivity

Five multinuclear cyclotriphosphazene ligands were synthesized and tested for their cleavage activities to plasmid DNA. All of these new compounds were confirmed by MS, ^1H NMR, ^31P NMR, ^13C NMR and IR. Preliminary studies on the cleavage of pUC19 DNA in the presence of metal complexes were performed. The results revealed that these complexes could act as powerful catalysts under physiological conditions. The complexes 3b ＋ Cu can effectively cleave DNA to nicked form, giving hydrolysis rate constant of 0.08/h under physiological conditions. An acid-base catalyzed DNA phosphate-diester hydrolysis mechanism was also orooosed.

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γActivated by Ligands Can Inhibit Human Lung Cancer Cell Growth through Induction of Apoptosis

To study the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-7(PPAR-γ) in lung cancer cells, and to testify if the PPAR-γ agonists can inhibit human lung cancer cell growth through induction of apoptosis, PPAR-γ was detected in two lung cancer cell lines by RT-PCR and immuno-histochemistry, the inhibition of human lung cancer cell growth was investigated by MTT and cell counts, and the apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL. The results showed that: (1) PPAR-γ expressed on two lung cancer cell lines; (2) PPAR-γ activated by ligands could inhibit human lung cancer cell growth remarkably; (3) PPAR-γ agonists could induce apoptosis to inhibit lung cancer cell growth. It was concluded that PPAR-γ expressed in lung cancer cell can be activated by ligands and can inhibit lung cancer cell growth through induction of apoptosis.

Alkoxy substituted MeO-BIPHEP-type diphosphines ligands for asymmetric hydrogenation of aryl ketones

In this paper,a series of optically active MeO-BIPHEP-type ligands,（S）-6,6′-dimethoxy-2,2’-bis（di-p-alkoxyphenylphosphine）- 1,1′-biphenyl were synthesized and used to prepare the ruthenium complex.The effects of para-substituted were observed,the results showed that the ruthenium catalysts[diphosphine RuCl;diamine]containing both t-Bu and i-Pr substitutions have better activities and enantioselectivities than the non-substituted ruthenium catalysts in the asymmetric hydrogenation of acetophenone.

Synthesis,Structure and Fluorescent Property of a New Isolated Zn6Co9 Heteronuclear Cluster Constructed by Four Kinds of Ligands

A novel zero-dimensional heteronuclear cluster based on N-（phosphonomethyl）imi- no-diacetic acid （H4PMIDA） and Phen （1,10-phenanthroline）, [Zn6Co9（PMIDA）6（Phen）6（NO3）4（H2O）6]·2NO3·16H2O, has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectrum, thermal analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The isolated 15- nuclearity cluster [Zn6Co9（PMIDA）6（Phen）6（NO3）4（H2O）6]^2＋ was constructed by four kinds of ligands, and its charges are balanced by NO3^–. Each isolated cluster is further extended into a 3D supramolecular network through π？？？π interaction and C–H…O hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the solid-state fluorescent property of this complex has also been investigated at room temperature.

Controlled Self-assembly of Two Coordination Polymers via subtly Varying Bis(2-methyl imidazole) Ligands:from 3-Connected(6,3) Net to 4-Connected sql Net

Two coordination polymers constructed from 3,4-thiophenedicarboxylic acid and bis（2-methyl imidazole） ligands, namely, {[Cd2（tdc）2（bip）2]·7H20}n （1） and [Cd（tdc）（bib）]n （2） （Hgtdc = 3,4-thiophenedicarboxylic acid, bip = 1,3-bis-（imidazol-2-methyl）propane and bib = 1,4-bis（imidazol-2-methyl）butane）, have been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural analyses reveal that 1 exhibits a two-dimensional （2D） layered network with 3-connected （6,3） topology, which is further connected into a three- dimensional （3D） supramolecular structure by intermolecular hydrogen bonds. However, 2 features a 2D network which can be rationalized as a 4-connected sql net. The results indicate the subtle difference of auxiliary bis（imidazol-2-methyl） ligands may lead to diverse architectures. Moreover, they exhibit luminescence emission in the solid state at room temperature.

Anticancer actions of PPARγ ligands:Current state and future perspectives in human lung cancer

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors(PPARs) are ligand-dependent nuclear transcription factors and members of the nuclear receptor superfamily.Of the three PPARs identified to date(PPARγ,PPARβ/δ,and PPARα),PPARγ has been studied the most,in part because of the availability of PPARγagonists(also known as PPARγ ligands)and its significant effects on the management of several human diseases including type 2 diabetes,metabolic syndrome,cardiovascular disease and cancers.PPARγ is expressed in many tumors including lung cancer,and its function has been linked to the process of lung cancer development, progression and metastasis.Studies performed in gynogenic and xenograft models of lung cancer showed decreased tumor growth and metastasis in animals treated with PPARγ ligands.Furthermore,data are emerging from retrospective clinical studies that suggest a protective role for PPARγ ligands on the incidence of lung cancer.This review summarizes the research being conducted in this area and focuses on the mechanisms and potential therapeutic effects of PPARγ ligands as a novel anti-lung cancer treatment strategy.