The single-use plastic pandemic in the covid-19 era

Single-use plastic (SUP) products are designed to be used only once or for a short time before being discarded. This research focused on personal protective equipment (PPE) made of SUP-based products (face masks, gloves, etc.) and SUP packaging during the COVID-19 era. One of the most obvious effects of the pandemic has been the increase in the use of PPE not only by healthcare professionals but also by the general public. As part of the fight against the pandemic, quarantines were started in many countries;people had to work from home, and shops were closed. Online shopping became more common. The increase in e-commerce also increased the use of SUP packaging. Here, we present an estimation of the number of daily single-use face masks and the amount of medical waste, considering the current COVID-19 cases and population. As a result of our calculations, we show that while the daily amount of medical waste is greatest in the European region, the number of single-use face masks used each day is highest in Asia. These results are associated with the number of COVID-19 cases and population data in the regions. Medical waste and number of patients were directly proportional, as were population and face mask waste. We are faced with plastic pollution that is becoming more difficult to control each day. In the current circumstances, within the scope of combating the possible plastic pandemic, we should prevent the shift of beneficial plastic from a preservative to a pollutant by prioritizing individual, societal, and institutional reforms to minimize plastic pollution. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Synthesis of novel 2,5-bis(substituted thio)-1,3,4-thiadiazoles by acid catalyzed intermolecular cyclization reactions of substituted dithiocarbazates as a possible 2019-nCoV main protease inhibitor

A convenient and facile synthesis of a privileged pharmaceutical scaffolds, 2,5-bis(substituted thio)-1,3,4-thiadiazoles is accomplished. The reaction of hydrazine hydrate with carbon disulfide and substituted alkyl/aryl chloride in basic medium yielded S-substituted alkyl/aryl dithiocarbazates in high yield. These dithiocarbazates on reaction with tetrafluoro acetic acid underwent a unique acid catalyzed intermolecular cyclization reaction to afford a novel 2,5-bis(substituted thio)-1,3,4-thiadiazoles. A simple procedure and high yields are the characteristic features of these reactions. These compounds are characterized on the basis of physico-chemical and spectral (FT-IR, ESI Mass, 1H, 13C and DEPT 135° 13C {1H} NMR) studies. Compound 2b crystallizes in orthorhombic system with point group P bca. Using the DFT/B3LYP/6–311 G (d,p) level of theory, HOMO-LUMO energy gap and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) analyses were carried out. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap allowed the calculation of chemical hardness, chemical inertness, electronegativity and the electrophilicity index of the molecule, which depicted their potential kinetic stability and reactivity. The molecular docking studies of 2b-2e with 2019-nCoV main protease(7BRO) revealed binding free energies of (ΔGb) = -6.22, -5.38, -4.43 and -4.25 kcal mol−1 respectively. Docking study revealed that the aromatic congeners exhibit appreciable therapeutic efficiency to be used as 2019-nCoV main protease inhibitors. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.