Volume 96, Issue 10 - Special Issue: Virtual Conference on Chemistry and its Applications 2023 (VCCA-2023)

Aim : Herein, the oxidation of chemical compounds as sound signals, prepared either by chemical, physical, mechanical, biological methods were reported. Objectives : To fabricate the synthesized material for example, nanoparticle, ceramic, electro catalyst as electrode, by mixing the synthesized material with a suitable binder or they may be mixed with a solvent to function as an electrolyte. In this case, 40 % formalin as electrolyte, platinum and calomel electrode as positive and negative electrodes respectively have been used to formulate an electrochemical cell. Methodology : This cell is connected with the sound card to process the sound signals and analyzed using Sig view software. The sound signals after noise deduction were further processed using MATLAB to get information about the signals. Results : For example, Frequency, Amplitude, etc. of those cells can be obtained. The FFT spectrum obtained by this method correlates well with the FTIR spectrum of formalin. Any Conductive chemical oxidation could be processed in this way and their chemical information could be digitized and saved in cloud.

Natural remedies are being widely utilized in some disease’s conditions including cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. The therapeutic intervention of medicinal plants and spices cannot be overemphasized in the management and control of diseases but the exact modes of action of these herbs and plants have not been fully elucidated. This research work was designed to study the expression of selected elements, zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), selenium (Se), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd); the phytochemical and the in vitro antioxidant properties of ethanolic extracts of Moringa oleifera leaves, Allium sativum (Garlic) and Momordica charantia (ejinrin) leaves for their potential involvement in the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases and cancer through different chemical methods. In vitro antioxidant properties were assayed by investigating 2,2-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals scavenging potentials and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Potential (FRAP); total phenolic content was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu assay and the elemental contents of these extracts was investigated through the use of Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). All tests were run in triplicates and analysed. Our results revealed that the ethanolic extracts of M. oleifera leaves, A. sativum (Garlic) and M. charantia (ejinrin) leaves possess significant antioxidant activities and express important and beneficial elements (in marginal and trace amounts) and phytochemicals. These results suggest that the medicinal attributes of these plants may be linked to the radical scavenging abilities, beneficial elements and phytochemicals expression of their ethanolic extracts which may likely be a good direction in the area of drug discovery and development.

Biofilms are complex bacterial colonies embedded in an extracellular matrix. These pose a major obstacle to wound healing and are noticeable in chronic wounds. It protects the bacteria from the host’s immune system and conventional antibiotic treatments. The biofilm’s protective matrix prevents essential nutrients and oxygen from diffusing into the surrounding healthy tissue. In addition, microbes living in biofilms naturally have increased resistance to antibiotics, which reduces the effectiveness of traditional therapies. As such, biofilms serve as persistent reservoirs of infection, which further disrupts the normal course of wound healing. In this review, the current formulation strategies such as hydrogels, polymeric nanoparticles, and nanofibers that are used in wound healing to counteract biofilms have been comprehensively discussed. The formulations have been meticulously designed and developed to disturb the biofilm matrix, prevent the growth of microorganisms, and increase the potency of antimicrobials and antibiotics. The mechanism of action, advantages and limitations associated with the existing formulation strategies have been reviewed. The formulation strategies that have been translated into clinical applications and patented are also discussed in this paper.

Naphthalene, a common member of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in various industrial applications, has garnered attention due to its genotoxic, mutagenic, and potentially carcinogenic effects on living organisms. Concerns have escalated regarding the widespread presence of naphthalene in the environment, its resistance to biodegradation, capacity for bioaccumulation, and associated adverse impacts. In response, numerous pilot treatment approaches have been explored to mitigate the economic consequences and prevent the degradation of soil and water quality resulting from naphthalene pollution. This study investigates the degradation of naphthalene using Kocuria rosea , a microorganism previously isolated from sawdust samples collected from a Sawmill in Ikenne, Ogun State, Southwestern Nigeria. Kocuria rosea was cultivated in nutrient broth (NB) for 24 h, and its growth was quantified through UV–Visible spectrophotometric analysis. The phytotoxicity of both untreated and treated naphthalene solutions was assessed by measuring their impact on the germination of Zea mays (corn) seeds. Furthermore, biodegradation of naphthalene was confirmed by analyzing FT-IR spectra. The results indicate that naphthalene exhibits phytotoxic effects on Z. mays germination, whereas treatment with the Kocuria rosea solution substantially increased the germination rate from 13.3 % to 46.67 %. FT-IR analysis reveals that Kocuria rosea effectively degrades naphthalene, as evidenced by the disappearance of characteristic peaks at 3049.56, 1593.25, 958.65, and 781.2. In conclusion, Kocuria rosea , isolated from a Sawmill in Ikenne, demonstrates significant potential for the bioremediation of naphthalene, offering promise as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach for mitigating naphthalene pollution.

The need for abundant, sustainable, and clean energy is becoming increasingly important in the modern world due to continuous population growth and industrial expansion. Hydrogen (H 2 ) has been identified as a potential energy carrier due to its high gravimetric energy density. Because H 2 is not frequently found in its molecular form, it has to be obtained through various methods such as steam methane reforming, coal gasification, fossil fuels, and electrochemical techniques. H 2 produced via PEMWE has proved to be an efficient method compared to other electrolysers. The limiting factor of a PEM electrolyser system is the OER catalyst. Commercially, IrO 2 and RuO 2 are used; however, both these metals are rare and expensive. Current research reports the use of binary metal oxides as an alternative OER catalyst to decrease the overall CAPEX costs. Various synthesis methods are available, with the Adams’ fusion method being the simplest. Characterisation techniques used to evaluate the performance of these catalysts include cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear scan voltammetry (LSV), XRD, XRF, SEM/EDS, and chronopotentiometry. Hydrogen as a clean fuel has a broad potential for use across all sectors, including transportation, residential, and industrial. In recent years, extensive research has been done on all aspects of hydrogen production, storage, and transportation. This review paper aims to study other bimetallic metals to reduce the Ir content used as an oxidative evolution reaction to reduce the capital cost of the PEM electrolyser. To produce green hydrogen that could reduce the carbon footprint in several industrial processes.

This study explored the synthesis of potash alum from disposed aluminum cans for water purification. The effect of the labels on the cans on the yield of alum was also investigated as it is economically beneficial for industry. Single crystals of potash alum were obtained and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Through a series of jar test experiments, the characterized alum samples were used to purify river water samples. Some of the parameters investigated include; pH, turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The results show that the alum samples were able to reduce the turbidity by 100 % and substantially decrease the TSS, TDS and COD over the five-hour period of study. However, there were slight increases in acidity and EC which could be corrected by other methods

Mycotoxins are common contaminants in food and feed in Africa, and their occurrence presents negative health and economic impacts. One step towards control is the adoption of highly efficient extraction methods for effective monitoring. QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) has gained popularity among researchers for multiple mycotoxin analyses. Various modifications of the original QuEChERS method have emerged as means to achieve maximum mycotoxin recoveries from different matrices, such as cereals, animal feed, nuts, edible oils, and spices. This review provides a summary of the occurrence of multiple mycotoxins in Africa as well as a summary of the QuEChERS modifications done to increase the extraction of mycotoxins from food and feed samples.

Regarding economic significance, the Dioscoreaceae family, which includes the well-known Dioscorea (yam) species, is the fourth most important tuber crop globally. A basic meal found all across the world, yams encourage and ensure the food security of households. Although they are challenging to preserve and store however a post-harvest deterioration control must be developed. Over the years, Nigerian farmers have employed medicinal herbs to manage post-harvest pest invasion; nevertheless, the scientific basis for this fungal management has not yet been well documented. As a result, Landolphia owarensis leaf extract was used as a biological control, and fungi were isolated from Dioscorea cayenensis , Dioscorea alata , and Discorea rotundata . Samples of yam tubers – both rotten and healthy – were procured in the markets and brought to the lab for fungus isolation and identification. Leaves of Landolphia oweriensis were collected, air-dried, milled, and macerated in pure methanol for 72 h, extracted and concentrated with a rotary evaporator. The agar-well diffusion method was used for the biological control assay against the fungal isolates. The biological control results were presented as mean ± SD (standard deviation) while analysis of variance (Anova) was used to deduce least significant difference (LSD). A total number of 605 fungi isolates were observed in which D . cayenensis had the highest, 50.58 %, D. alata and Discorea rotundata 24.71 % respectively. Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus were found in the three species while Aspergillus flavus , Rhizopus stolonifer , Collentotricum spp . and Penicillium spp . in either of the species. L. owarensis methanolic leaves extracts possesses biological potentials against Colletotrium spp., A. fumigatus , A. niger and A. flavus only. The problem of postharvest fungal invasion of Dioscorea species can be solved with the inhibition observed with L. owarensis methanolic leaves extracts as a biological control measure thereby sustaining food security in the world.

Nitrogenous fertilizer drift from farmlands accelerates nitrogen loads in groundwaters. Biochar potential to mitigate nitrogen leaching in urea treated sandy soil was monitored in a four weeks screenhouse leaching column experiment. The trial was a factorial combination of two biochar types (B1 and B2 applied at 5 t/ha) and two urea treatments (with urea at 120 kg/ha and without urea) laid in completely randomized design with three replications. Control that received neither urea nor biochar was compared. Four weekly leaching events were conducted in each leaching column containing 300 g soil amended with appropriate treatments. Amaranthus hybridus was the test crop. The NH 4 -N and NO 3 -N leached were generally highest during the week 2 leaching event such that total NO 3 -N leached was 427.3 % higher than total NH 4 -N leached with highest contributions from sole urea treatment. Biochar pretreatment reduced total N leached by 9.5 (B1) and 26.8 % (B2) relative to sole urea. Percentage of N added lost to leaching was highest (34.1 %) in sole urea treatment with B1 and B2 pretreatment reducing the value by 54.5 and 46.9 % respectively. Correlation analysis revealed electrical conductivity of the leachate and soil as dominant indicators for N leached in the soil studied.

In this age of emergent resistance to antimicrobial agents, pathogenic fungi are not an exception. Diverse strategies have been implemented to curb rampant fungal infections including screening new drugs and stewardship programs. A plethora of recent studies have proved that phytochemicals are efficacious against pathogenic fungi and have potent antifungal activity. This review examines the use of phytochemicals as possible alternative antifungal agents against dermatophytes particularly Trichophyton spp . Literature search was done using three search engines namely Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct limited to the year 2019–2023 only. A total of 30 articles were included and 48 plant extracts were evaluated. The major phytochemicals that proved to be potent antifungals both in vitro and in vivo were terpenoids and phenolics. The antifungal potential of phyto-compounds was significantly elevated by incarnation with nanotechnology. Although much has been done in screening of herbal extracts as possible antifungal agents huge gaps still exist on full characterization of all active herbal extracts with antifungal potential especially against resistant strains, together with their mechanism of action, formulation of pharmaceutical dosage forms and clinical trials.

The use of cow urine (CU) in treating a variety of illness can be traced back to ancient ages. It has been referred as an important and integral component of Cowpathy – an age-old practice in Indian sub-continent since the Vedic period (1500 BC – 600 BC). The CU contains several important compounds that are essential in maintaining a balance between the well-being of human and the nature. It is composed of about 95 % water and other useful ingredients such as urea, hormones, lyase enzyme, and salts containing Fe, Ca, P, Mn, S, N, and K. In addition, it also contains lactose, cytokine, and amino acid which are the fundamental building blocks of protein. Researchers have developed various processes for the green synthesis of CU concentrate and evaluated its usefulness in treating various diseases owing to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Further, CU has also shown promising immunity boosting and anti-oxidant characteristics. Even though human civilization has benefited from the use of CU in treating various types illness but the modern scientific understanding of the cause-effect relationships was partly developed in the last few decades. There exists a huge knowledge gap and a comprehensive study on exploring the science and application of CU hasn’t been reported. This paper reviews the historical perspective, compositional analysis, processing, applications, knowledge gap, and future research required in the field of therapeutic usage of CU.

The reactions of trans -[PtX 2 (pic) 2 ] (pic = γ-picoline, X = Cl − , NO 3 − ) with N-acetyl- l -cysteine (acSH) and glutathione (GSH) were monitored and followed by 1 H and 195 Pt NMR. In the reaction of trans -[Pt(pic) 2 (D 2 O) 2 ](NO 3 ) 2 with acSH, in the 195 Pt NMR spectra, the most intense peak observed was trans -[Pt(pic) 2 (acS)} 2 (µ-acS)] + ( 3 ). The intermediate product which was not clearly seen in the spectra was formulated as trans -[Pt (pic) 2 (acS)(D 2 O)] + ( 2 ), with the weaker peak one as trans -[Pt(pic) 2 (acS) 2 ] ( 1 ). With GSH, the main product observed was trans -[Pt(pic) 2 (GS) 2 ] ( 4 ), while the intermediate product was not observed during this study. In the reactions of trans -[PtCl 2 (pic) 2 ] with acSH, besides complexes 1 and 3 formed, the formation of trans -[Pt(pic) 2 Cl(acS)] ( 6 ) was also observed in the NMR spectra, while when it was reacted with GSH, followed a similar course to that of with acSH, but more slowly.