Bentonite as eco-friendly natural mineral support for Pd/CoFe2O4 catalyst applied in toluene diamine synthesis.

Toluene diamine (TDA) is a major raw material in the polyurethane industry and thus, its production is highly important. TDA is obtained through the catalytic hydrogenation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT). In this study a special hydrogenation catalyst has been developed by decomposition cobalt ferrite nanoparticles onto a natural clay-oxide nanocomposite (bentonite) surface using a microwave-assisted solvothermal method. The catalyst particles were examined by TEM and X-ray diffraction. The palladium immobilized on the bentonite crystal surface was identified using an XRD and HRTEM device. The obtained catalyst possesses the advantageous property of being easily separable due to its magnetizability on a natural mineral support largely available and obtained through low carbon- and energy footprint methods. The catalyst demonstrated outstanding performance with a 2,4-DNT conversion rate exceeding 99% along with high yields and selectivity towards 2,4-TDA and all of this achieved within a short reaction time. Furthermore, the developed catalyst exhibited excellent stability, attributed to the strong interaction between the catalytically active metal and its support. Even after four cycles of reuse, the catalytic activity remained unaffected and the Pd content of the catalyst did not change, which indicates that the palladium component remained firmly attached to the magnetic support's surface.

NH2-Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles for the N-Glycomic Analysis of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Glycosylation is vital for well-functioning glycoproteins and is reportedly altered in chronic inflammatory disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). High-throughput quantitative measurement of protein glycosylation is challenging, as glycans lack fluorophore groups and require fluorescent labeling. The attachment of fluorescent tags to each glycan moiety necessitates sample clean-up for reliable quantitation. The use of magnetic particles in glycan sample preparation is reportedly an easy-to-use solution to accomplish large-scale biomarker discovery studies. In this study, NH2-funtionalized magnetic nanoparticles were synthetized, characterized and applied for the glycosylation analysis of serum samples from patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and corresponding healthy controls. Serum samples were PNGase F digested and labeled by procainamide via reductive amination, followed by magnetic nanoparticle-based purification. The prepared samples were analyzed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, allowing for the relative quantitation of the individual glycan species. Significant glycosylation alterations were detected between MS patients and healthy controls, especially when analyzing the different gender groups.

Sonochemical Combined Synthesis of Nickel Ferrite and Cobalt Ferrite Magnetic Nanoparticles and Their Application in Glycan Analysis.

The combination of the sonochemical activation of Ni(NO3)2 and Co(NO3)2 in the presence of Fe(NO3)3 and polyethylene glycol and consecutive heat treatment of the formed metal hydroxides offers a cheap and efficient method for the preparation of nickel ferrite and cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles, which can be successfully applied in the selective capture of fluorescently derivatized N-glycans from human serum. XRD measurement revealed that, besides the ferrite phase, nickel and cobalt oxides also form during heat treatment. The amount of simple metal oxides can be well controlled by the temperature of the heat treatment, since increasing temperature yielded higher spinel content. For both nickel and cobalt, the best heat treatment temperature was found to be 673 K, where the samples contained 84.1% nickel ferrite, and in the case of cobalt, almost pure (99.6%) cobalt ferrite could be prepared. FT-IR and zeta potential measurements indicated the presence of surface OH groups, which aided in the dispersion of the particles in water and, in addition, can promote the adsorption of polar compounds. The practical applicability of the magnetic nanopowders was demonstrated in the purification of fluorescently derivatized N-glycans (from human serum). Cobalt ferrite was found to be the most effective. Owing to the easy preparation and the simplicity of the magnetic separation the pure cobalt ferrite, magnetic nanoparticles could be efficient tools for the selective enrichment of serum N-glycans in HPLC measurements.