The two catalysts prepared gave high efficiency for their corresponding reaction, i.e., the Zr-based catalyst for catalytic transfer hydrogenation of biomass-derived carbonyl compounds and the Cu-based catalyst for selective oxidation of alcohols into aldehydes. Different depolymerized components contributed differently to the activity of the catalyst, and the solvents during the preparation process could also influence the activity of the catalyst. The depolymerized components and the solvents influenced the activities of the Zr-based catalyst mainly via changing the Zr contents, the microenvironment of Zr4+, and the specific areas of the catalyst.The work reports on zinc oxide bentonite nanocomposite (ZnOBt) chemical route synthesis, characterization, and investigation of curcumin (Cur) functionalization for a label-free colorimetric detection of total aflatoxins (AFs) in foods. XRD of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) confirmed the wurtzite structure (2θ = 36.2°) and that of ZnOBt showed the intercalated interlayer composite phase. The Debye-Scherrer relation calculated the crystallite size as 20 nm (ZnO) and 24.4 nm (ZnOBt). Surface morphology by SEM exhibited flower-like hexagonal, rod-shaped ZnO NPs on the bentonite surface. Colorimetric reaction involved two-stage redox reactions between ZnOBt and dye Cur followed by AFs phenolic group and Zn(Cur)OBt. Cur gets oxidized at its diketone moiety in the presence of ZnOBt to form a red colored complex Zn(Cur)OBt, which further scavenge protons from AFs phenolic group, and gets oxidized to AFs-Zn(Cur)OBt (yellow). Binding of AFs-Zn(Cur)OBt is characterized by FT-IR ascribed to C-H bending (1966.615 cm-1), O-H stretching (3256.974 cm-1), and C=O stretching (1647.362 cm-1). 1H NMR chemical shifts (δ) (ppm) showed an increase in proton at the aliphatic region (0 to 4.4) while removal of proton in ether at 4.4 to 6 regions. Job plot calculation using UV-Vis data resulted in a higher total AF binding coefficient of Zn(Cur)OBt (K a = 3.77 × 106 mol-1 L) compared to Zn(Cur)O (K a = 0.645 × 106 mol-1 L) as well as a molar ratio of 11 by the Benesi-Hildebrand plot equation. Corn and almond food samples showed the total AFs LOD of 2.74 and 4.34 ppb, respectively. The results are validated with standard LC/MS-MS in compliance with MRL value as per the regulatory standard (EU).The NP-based method is facile and rapid and hence can be utilized for onsite detection of total AFs in foods.Manganese nodules from ocean bed are potential resources of Cu, Ni, and Co for which land-based deposits are scarce in India. The present work describes a novel approach of using glycerol, a nontoxic biomass-derived reductant, for the reductive acid leaching of manganese nodules. Parameters such as acid concentration, time, temperature, and pulp density were optimized for leaching. The optimal leaching conditions were found to be 10% (w/v) pulp density and 10% (v/v) H2SO4 at 80 °C with 1% (v/v) glycerol yielding >95% of Ni and >98% Cu, Co, and Mn extraction within an hour. Kinetic analysis of the data based on the initial rate method showed that the leaching process was chemical reaction-controlled with an apparent activation energy of 55.47 kJ/mol. Various oxidation intermediates of glycerol formed during leaching were identified using mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy, and a probable oxidation pathway of glycerol during the leaching process has been elucidated based on the analysis. Glycerol was oxidized to glyceraldehyde, glyceric acid, tartronic acid, dihydroxyacetone, hydroxy pyruvic acid, glyoxalic acid, oxalic acid, and finally converted to CO2 during leaching. The fast reaction kinetics, near-complete dissolution of manganese, and other associated metals in the nodule can be attributed to the participation of all intermediate products of glycerol oxidation in redox reactions with MnO2, enhancing the overall reduction leaching efficiency.Auxetic structure and tunable phase transitions are fascinating properties for future application. Herein, we propose two three-dimensional (3D) carbon honeycombs (CHC), known as Cmcm -CHC and Cmmm-CHC. Based on first-principles calculations, these novel 3D materials exhibit auxeticity with a fascinating negative Poisson's ratio, which stems from (i) the puckered structure of Cmcm -CHC along the tube axis and (ii) significant change of angle-dominant deformation for Cmmm-CHC in the armchair direction. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/nvp-tae226.html In addition, the moderate strain drives semimetal to semiconductor phase transition in CHCs, which thoroughly establishes its C-C bond formation. In the meantime, two new phases, namely P63/mmc-CHC and P6/mmm-CHC, form and exhibit semiconductor characteristics. Our results also show that Cmcm -CHC and P63/mmc-CHC are superhard materials. The outstanding negative Poisson's ratio and phase transition properties make CHCs highly versatile for innovative applications in microelectromechanical and nanoelectronic devices.211At, an α-particle emitter, has recently attracted attention for radioimmunotherapy of intractable cancers. However, our sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry analyses revealed that 211At-labeled immunoconjugates are easily disrupted. Luminol assay revealed that reactive oxygen species generated from radiolysis of water caused the disruption of 211At-labeled immunoconjugates. To retain their functions, we explored methods to protect 211At-immunoconjugates from oxidation and enhance their stability. Among several other reducing agents, sodium ascorbate most safely and successfully protected 211At-labeled trastuzumab from oxidative stress and retained the stability of the 211At-labeled antibody and its cytotoxicity against antigen-expressing cells for several days.Corn wet distillers' fiber (corn fiber) is a byproduct of the corn-ethanol production process, with high potential as a precursor for activated carbon due to its moderate nitrogen content and availability. However, there has been limited investigation into activated carbons from the corn fiber. In this work, we produce activated carbons from the corn fiber using three procedures, including direct KOH activation, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) followed by KOH activation, and FeCl3-catalyzed HTC followed by KOH activation. Catalytic HTC with FeCl3 was found to slightly increase the degree of carbonization relative to uncatalyzed HTC while also removing the nitrogen content at increasing concentrations and slightly increasing the porosity. The resulting activated carbon samples are then characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and nitrogen analysis. The two-step process resulted in activated carbon with substantially higher surface areas than the one-step process (1220 vs 789 m2/g), as well as much higher thermal stability and nitrogen content (up to 1.