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Fortis Escorts Heart Institute wins ‘Best Single Specialty Hospital - Cardiology‘ title.

Probiodrug transfers its CDK9 inhibitor program to AstraZeneca.

GE to expand in life sciences with acquisition of strategic assets from Thermo Fisher Scientific.

MD Anderson teams up with Pfizer to advance cancer immunotherapy.

Trovagene and US Oncology Research collaborate on a prospective study for urine-based KRAS testing in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

MedImmune and Immunocore enter immunotherapy agreement to develop novel cancer therapies.

Nodality enters into a strategic collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation in autoimmune diseases.

Knopp Biosciences and NIH to collaborate in evaluating dexpramipexole in patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome.

AMN Healthcare receives top workplace award.

National Cancer Centre Singapore and Clearbridge BioMedics partner to bring circulating tumor cell technology closer to clinic.

Latest updates on soaps, detergents, cosmetics, hair care industry at 4th Emerging HPC Surfactants Markets.

CMT's 11th Phenol/ Acetone & Derivatives Markets in Shanghai, hones in on feedstock costs, excess capacities and more.

A*STAR signs agreement with Nestlé to strengthen food & nutrition R&D in Singapore.

Amorfix enters into agreement with a major global pharmaceutical company for Alzheimer's disease diagnostic.

PHARM Connect Congress- One step before the future.

In this paper, the adsorption behaviors of phenol on polymeric adsorbents (Amberlite XAD4, NDA101, and D301) were investigated in batch system at 293, 303, and 313 K, respectively. As the results shown, the adsorption isotherms of phenol on all adsorbents can be well fitted by Langmuir and Freundlich equations, which indicate a favorable and exothermic process. The adsorption capacity on a newly developed aminated adsorbent, NDA101, on which adsorption could be achieved by both hydrogen bonding interaction and π-π interaction, are higher than that on a weak base adsorbent, D301, on which adsorption could be achieved by hydrogen bonding interaction only, and on a nonpolar adsorbent, XAD4, on which adsorption could be achieved by π-π interaction only. The results of this paper indicate that the synergistic effect of some weak interactions, which occur simultaneously would contribute more to the adsorption than that occur individually.

Adsorption behaviors of phenol from aqueous solutions have been investigated in batch systems at 303 K and 318 K respectively, using hypercrosslinked polymeric adsorbent (CHA111), aminated hypercrosslinked polymeric adsorbents (NDA101, NDA103, NDA105) and weakly basic polymeric adsorbent (D301) with a view to studying the effect of hydrogen bonding and Van der Waals interactions between adsorbate and the adsorbent. All adsorption isotherms can be well fitted by Langmuir and Freundlich equations. Compared with D301 driven by hydrogen bonding interaction only and CHA111 driven by Van der Waals interaction only, phenol adsorption on aminated adsorbents driven by both hydrogen bonding and Van der Waals interactions were apparently different, i.e., negative effect for NDA105, positive effect for NDA101 and synergistic effect for NDA103. In this synergistic action, some weak interactions would contribute more or less to the adsorption than they work individually.

The effects of pH, initial concentration and temperature on the adsorption of phenol by chitosan are investigated in this paper. The isothermal data was applied to Langmuir linear and the Freundlich linear isotherm equation, and the thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔG, ΔS) were calculated according to the values of binding Langmuir constant, K_L. Results indicated that the adsorption between chitosan and phenol was significantly physical in nature, the negative ΔH constant at lower temperature confirmed that more phenol was adsorbed by chitosan at lower temperature. The kinetics of the sorption process of phenol on chitosan was investigated using the pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetics, and results showed that the second order equation model provided the best correlation with the experimental results.

Two hypercrosslinked resins with similar physical characters but different surface chemistry were synthesized and used to remove phenol from aqueous solutions. The FTIR spectra, elemental analysis and the Boehm titration were used to characterize the chemical properties of the resins. The adsorption experiments were carried out using the bottle-point technique, and the effects of the surface chemistry on the adsorption were discussed. The adsorption data fit well with the Freundlich model, indicating the heterogeneity of the resins surface. It could be seen from the experimental results that the adsorption capacity increased with the increase in the total surface concentration of oxygen-containing groups. The pH dependence and the effects of ionic strength were also discussed. The kinetic adsorption data fit well with the pseudo-second order model, and the results showed that the surface oxygen-containing groups have little effect on the adsorption rate.

Liquid phase catalytic selective hydroxylation of phenol to catechol and hydroquinone was carried out in the presence of metalloporphyrins using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant and water as solvent. Five kinds of metal tetra(p-chlorophenyl)porphrin (T(p-Cl)PPMCl, M = Fe, Co, Mn, Cu, Zn) were studied. It was found that T(p-Cl)PPFeCl had high catalytic activity and diphenol selectivity for the hydroxylation of phenol to catechol and hydroquinone. The influence of various reaction parameters, namely, reaction temperature, solvent, ratio of substrate and oxidant, substrate concentration, the amount of catalyst, reaction time and pH value were investigated systematically. When water was used as solvent (10 mL), the optimum conditions were following: pH = 7, the concentration of phenol was 0.3 g/mL, the molar ratio of phenol and H₂O₂ was 1/2, the molar ratio of catalyst and phenol was 7/100000, the reaction temperature was 65°C and the reaction time was 1.5 h. Under above optimum conditions, the phenol conversion was up to 55.1%, and the selectivity of diphenol was almost up to 99.9%, the molar turnover numbers of the catalyst was about 7500. A possible mechanism was also proposed.

Voltammetric sensors based on phthalocyanines have been used to detect a variety of compounds. In this paper, the state of the art of sensors prepared using classical techniques will be revised. Then, new strategies to improve the performance of the sensors will be described using as example sensors chemically modified with lutetium bisphthalocyanine (LuPc${}_2)$ dedicated to the detection of phenols of interest in the food industry. Classical LuPc₂ carbon paste electrodes can detect phenols such as catechol, caffeic acid or pyrogallol with limits of detection in the range of 10${}^{-4}$–10${}^{-5}$ M. The performance can be improved by using nanostructured Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) or Layer by Layer (LbL) films. The enhanced surface to volume ratio produce an increase in the sensitivity of the sensors. Limits of detection of 10${}^{-5}$–10${}^{-7}$ M are attained, which are one order of magnitude lower than those obtained using conventional carbon paste electrodes. Moreover, these techniques can be used to co-immobilize two electrocatalytic materials in the same device. The limits of detection obtained in LB sensors combining LuPc₂/AuNPs or LuPc₂/CNT are further improved. Finally, the LB technique has been used to prepare biosensors where a phenol oxydase (such as tyrosinase or lacasse) is immobilized in a biomimetic environment that preserves the enzymatic activity. Moreover, LuPc₂ can be co-immobilized with the enzyme in a lipidic film formed by arachidic acid (AA). LuPc₂ can act as an electron mediator facilitating the electron transfer. These biomimetic sensors formed by LuPc₂/AA/enzyme show Limits of detection of 10${}^{-8}$ M and an enhanced selectivity.

A phenol biosensor based on the skillful immobilization of tyrosinase on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods was proposed. The ZnO nanorods fabricated by a simple vapor-phase transport method possess a high aspect ratio, good electron communication, chemical purity, smooth and positive charged surface and are ready for immobilization of biochemicals with low isoelectric point (IEP). Electrochemical measurement and Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) analysis showed that the enzyme of tyrosinase with IEP 4.5 can be adsorbed on the surface of ZnO nanorods and kept its bioactivity of the oxidation of phenol to a large extent. This led us to develop phenol biosensor with good stability and reproducibility. The proposed method creates a new way to develop biosensors using nanostructured materials with high IEP.

In this study, silver orthophosphate@carbon layer (Ag₃PO₄@C) core/shell heterostructure photocatalyst was prepared for the first time. The results showed that a uniform carbon layer was formed around the Ag₃PO₄. By adjusting the hydrothermal fabrication parameters, the thickness of carbon layer could be easily controlled. Furthermore, the Ag₃PO₄@C had remarkable light absorption in the visible region. Photocatalytic tests displayed that the Ag₃PO₄@C heterostructures possessed a much higher degradation rate of phenol than pure Ag₃PO₄ under visible light. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to high separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes based on the synergistic effect between carbon as a sensitizer and Ag₃PO₄. Recycle tests showed that the Ag₃PO₄@C core/shell heterostructures maintained high stability over several cycles. The good stability could be attributed to the protection of insoluble carbon layer on the surfaces of Ag₃PO₄ crystals in aqueous solution.

An efficient N-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-RGO)/Ag₃PO₄ nanocomposite with enhanced photocatalytic activity has been prepared through a facile solution-based approach. Since N-RGO could offer more sites for the anchoring of Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles, and effectively promote the charge carriers separation and transfer due to its high electrical conductivity, the photocatalytic activity of N-RGO/Ag₃PO₄ nanocomposite is much higher than bare Ag₃PO₄ and N-RGO in the degradation of phenol pollutant under simulated solar light irradiation. The mechanism for the photocatalytic process was also investigated. The excellent photocatalytic performance makes the N-RGO/Ag₃PO₄ nanocomposite a promising photocatalyst for organic pollutant treatment.

We report engineered iron-based nanoparticles supported on cagelike mesoporous carbon that leaves its most mesopores empty to retain an open pore network and are expected to be efficient catalyst with fast molecular diffusion/transportation. The nano-scale iron-based particle inlayed in mesoporous carbon catalyst was obtained via the introduction of N atoms as an anchor. Results of X-ray diffraction, N₂ sorption and transmission electron microscopy showed that the cagelike mesoporous structure of the carbon matrix was retained during catalyst preparation and iron-based nanoparticles were spatially dispersed on the mesoporous carbon. Importantly, it was found that the obtained iron-based nanoparticles inlayed into mesoporous carbon with a low Fe loading of 1.26wt.% was an appropriate catalyst for the benzene hydroxylation to phenol using H₂O₂ as the oxidant. At a low temperature of 30^∘C, 19.4% conversion to benzene and 14.6% phenol yield were obtained; in addition, the catalyst could be recycled at least four times.

LaFeO₃/NiO modified g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (L-N/CNS) were synthesized by a two-step method. HRTEM results showed that an intimate contact between LaFeO₃, NiO and N-CNS was successfully established. Ninety percent of phenol was degraded within 120min, and the hydrogen evolution rate of 171.2$\mu$molh${}^{-1}$g${}^{-1}$ was obtained over the L-N/CNS heterojunctions under the visible-light irradiation. It was higher than that of g-C₃N₄ nanosheets, NiO modified g-C₃N₄ and LaFeO₃/g-C₃N₄. The$\cdot$O${}_2^{-}$ radicals acted the crucial role in the photocatalytic degradation reaction. EIS, PL and time-resolved fluorescence spectra demonstrated that L-N/CNS possessed the highest charge separation efficiency. The intimate contact between LaFeO₃, NiO and g-C₃N₄ nanosheets promoted the separation and transfer of photo-induced electron–hole pairs and consequently prolonged the exciton lifetime, and implied more photo-induced electrons could be probably involved in the photocatalytic reactions on the surface of photocatalysts. Thus, the visible-light driven photocatalytic performances of L-N/CNS were effective. This work provided a feasible method to design and construct heterostructures for the exploitation of solar energy.

The use of adsorption capacity of porous and large-surface-area materials is an important approach to treat dye-containing effluents. In this study, the porous carbon nanocages (CNCs) were synthesized from the precursor of phenol in home-made chemical vapor deposition (CVD) setup at 600–1000^°C, and were convincingly characterized. The as-prepared CNCs are amorphous, porous and hollow, and have the size of 50–100nm in width, 100–200nm in length and several nm in thickness, causing to the large surface area of 800m²/g and pore volume of 1.63cm³/g. The growth of amorphous-like CNCs was related to the thermolysis species of phenol. Interestingly, each CNC has large volume hollow coelom and small opening (a typical ink bottle pore), being in favor of adsorption but in disfavor of desorption, thus it is very fit for acting as the adsorbent of dye. As expected, the products showed excellent adsorbility of rhodamine B when compared with the most used activated carbon having straight and slit pore structures, displaying broad application prospects in removing dye from wastewater.

The treatment of phenol-containing wastewater is a hot topic in the field of environmental chemistry. In this work, the hydroxyl grafted graphite phase carbon nitride (g-C₃${\text{N}}_4)$ was prepared by alkaline hydrothermal (AH) treatment, and its degradation of phenol under visible light was investigated. XRD, UV-Vis, FT-IR, XPS, N₂ adsorption, PL, ESR, TPD and EIS were used to characterize the as-prepared catalysts. The results showed that the hydroxyl group grafting does not influence the crystal structure, optical property and specific surface area of catalyst. Compared with the hydroxyl group modified g-C₃N₄ prepared by H₂O₂ method, the alkali hydrothermal treatment can graft more hydroxyl groups onto the g-C₃N₄ surface, leading to the higher electron–hole separation efficiency. The as-prepared catalyst using this method had more surface negative charges and stronger adsorption capacity for the reaction substrate phenol. The g-C₃N₄ prepared by this alkali hydrothermal treatment displayed the phenol degradation rate constant of 0.22h${}^{-1}$, which is 3.72 and 2.06 times higher than that of neat and H₂O₂ treated g-C₃N₄, as well as excellent catalytic stability and structural stability. The possible reaction mechanism was proposed.

Pt/CeO₂–ZrO₂–SnO₂/ZrO₂/SBA-16 catalysts were synthesized for the complete oxidation of phenol in liquid-phase under moderate condition. The loading of ZrO₂ onto SBA-16 effectively enhanced the catalytic activity of Pt/CeO₂–ZrO₂–SnO₂/ZrO₂/SBA-16 due to the increase of the oxygen release and storage abilities of the CeO₂–ZrO₂–SnO₂ promoter. Among the prepared catalysts with various ZrO₂ loading amounts (0–36wt.%), the Pt(7wt.%)/Ce${}_{0.68}$Zr${}_{0.17}$Sn${}_{0.15}$O₂ (16wt.%)/ZrO₂(24wt.%)/SBA-16 exhibited the highest activity, and the complete phenol removal was achieved after the reaction at 80^∘C for 8h under the atmospheric pressure.

Novel Pt/ZrSn${}_{1-x}$Sr${}_x$O${}_{4-\delta }$/SBA-16 (SBA-16: Santa Barbara Amorphous No. 16) catalysts were developed for liquid-phase phenol oxidation. As the promoter to accelerate phenol oxidation on Pt, a ZrSnO₄ solid with an $\alpha$-PbO₂-type structure was chosen because its interstitial open spaces are expected to facilitate phenol adsorption. Additionally, the redox reaction of Sn${}^{4+/2+}$ provides oxygen release and storage abilities, and the introduction of low-valent Sr${}^{2+}$ ions into the ZrSnO₄ lattice improves oxide ion migration via the generation of oxygen vacancies in the lattice structure. Among the samples prepared, the 9.0 wt.% Pt/8.1 wt.% Zr${}_{1.11}$Sn${}_{0.85}$Sr${}_{0.04}$O${}_{4-}$${}_{\delta }$/SBA-16 catalyst showed the highest activity, resulting in a phenol removal percentage of up to 99.7% after 6 h of reaction at 80${}^{\circ }$C under atmospheric pressure.

Phenol is present in different amounts in a number of industrial effluents. Even in small amounts, the substance has a significant potential for toxicity. Deep eutectic solvent-based tea waste (DBTW) was examined in this work as an adsorbent for the elimination of this type of pollutant. Analysis using SEM, FTIR, BET, and TGA showed the properties of the synthesized adsorbent. The pseudo-first-order rate equation correctly reflected the experimental data for phenol. Thermodynamic studies showed that phenol adsorption onto the surface of the DBTW was an endothermic, nonspontaneous process.

Today, fossil carbon provides us with fuels (energy), polymers (packaging, insulating and building materials, household utensils, glues, coatings, textiles, 3D-printing inks, furnitures, vehicle parts, toys, electronic and medical devices, etc.) and biologically active substances (drugs (Chapter 9), flavorings, fragrances, food additives, plant protection products, etc.). In this chapter we discover the modern materials of our civilization which are very often polymers derived from oil. They are referred to as “plastics” (annual world production: 380 × 10⁶ tons). Their production consumes 8% of the crude oil extracted (ca. 5 billion tons per year). An increasing part of the plastics originates from renewable resources (less than 10% today, see Section 11.10, bio-sourced plastics). Plastics make life easy for us, but at the underestimated cost of damage to our environment (Figure 8.1) and our health. They contaminate the hydrosphere and the agricultural soil. The atmosphere is also contaminated by microplastics…

Man has always used his environment to heal himself. Until 1869 all medicines came mainly from plants (e.g. opium for pain relief, Figure 8.46, Section 8.8.1) or animals (e.g. badger skin and meat to relieve snake or scorpion bites). In 2010, there were 1000 active ingredients in drugs sold in pharmacies, of which 10% were unmodified natural products, 29% were derivatives of natural products (hemisynthesis) and 61% were synthetic products. Using bio-informatics and artificial intelligence methods, an estimated 166 billion different molecules can be prepared by combining 17 atoms comprising C, N, O, S, F, Cl, Br and I, and by applying known synthesis methods and standard stability criteria. By applying medicinal chemistry criteria (structure/biological activity relationships) to this molecular space called GBD17, it is estimated that 10 million of these molecules could become drugs…

The sun is the only source of renewable energy available to us, if geothermal energy is not taken into account. In the form of radiation (UV light, visible light, infrared light, Section 1.1) it sends us annually 178,000 terawatts (1 TW = 10¹² W; unit of power 1 W = 1 J s^–1 = 859.85 calories per hour), that is to say 15,000 times the energy consumed annually by humanity. Only 0.1% of the solar energy received by planet Earth is converted into plant biomass, i.e. 100 × 10⁹ tons per year which corresponds to ca. 180 × 10⁹ tons per year of CO₂ captured from the atmosphere. This CO₂ returns to the biosphere after the death of the plants. Consumption of fossil carbon emits ca. 35 × 10⁹ tons of CO₂ yearly. Biomass is the material produced by all living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms, fungi)…