The surface properties of apatite are crucial for its reactivity and release behaviour of phosphate in the soil. Apatite exhibits a crystalline structure that strongly influences its morphology and surface characteristics. The morphology of apatite occurs in various forms, including granular, massive and fibrous textures, which can influence its interaction with soil particles and nutrient availability. This property also reflects the pH at which the surface charge of apatite becomes neutral. The surface of apatite can be enriched or depleted in certain elements compared to its bulk composition due to weathering processes and interactions with soil microbes. In this work, the hydration and activation of water adsorbed on apatite surfaces in presence of SiO42–, Fe3+, Mg2+ and Al3+ were investigated. Using integrated spectroscopic, potentiometric and surface chemistry analyses, distinct hydration, activation pathways were identified, and the evolution of surface species was monitored as a function of pH and dopant composition. The results demonstrate that surface protonation states and ligand exchange processes play key roles in controlling apatite reactivity in complex natural systems.

A series of novel tri-substituted 1,3,5-triazine derivatives (5a-l) was synthesised and characterised using analytical and spectroscopic techniques including IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectrometry. The antimicrobial efficacy of the synthesised compounds was evaluated against four bacterial strains (Escherichia coli MTCC 443, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 1688, Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96 and Streptococcus pyogenes MTCC 442) and three fungal strains (Candida albicans MTCC 227, Aspergillus niger MTCC 282 and Aspergillus clavatus MTCC 1323). Compound 5i showed the lowest MIC against S. aureus (MIC 62.5 µg/mL), while compound 5b demonstrated moderate broad-spectrum antibacterial activity with MIC values of 50-100 µg/mL, representing the most active member of the series (MIC 50 µg/mL vs. ciprofloxacin MIC 25 µg/mL). Compound 5k showed significant antifungal activity against C. albicans (MIC 100 µg/mL), superior to griseofulvin for this specific strain (MIC 500 µg/mL). Molecular docking studies against S. aureus DNA gyrase (PDB: 3FY8) revealed that compound 5e exhibited the highest binding affinity among the synthesised compounds (docking score: -7.074 kcal/mol), lower than the reference ciprofloxacin (-7.778 kcal/mol). The compounds demonstrated interactions with key active-site residues via hydrophobic contacts, hydrogen bonding with TYR 98, halogen bonding and electrostatic interactions with ASP 27 and LYS 45, suggesting DNA gyrase as a possible target for further exploration. These findings indicate that 1,3,5-triazine scaffolds are promising leads for the development of antimicrobial agents targeting DNA gyrase.

Extracts of orange, lemon, tangerine, pomelos and kumquat peels were extracted by two methods viz. solvent extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction. Extracts from peel were evaluated for their moisture, biological activity and antibacterial capacity. Raw material powder after preliminary processing tends to turn golden brown with moisture content below 10%. The antioxidant capacity of the extract from low to high (orange > tangerine > pomelos > lemon > kumquat) was found. The vitamin C equivalent of tangerine is the highest recorded at the value of 1.30 mg g−1 . In addition, the total polyphenol and flavonoid content of pomelos and tangerine was found to be higher than that of other extracts. The antibacterial ability was also evaluated based on four intestinal-specific strains including E. coli, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. The orange peel extract isolated from solvent extraction method has the highest resistant to bacterial strains, whereas, the other extracts have moderate antibacterial activity. The results on the pectin composition in the peels have also been specifically evaluated. All the types of pectin powders have a degree of esterification (DE) coefficient < 50% corresponding to pectin LM (low-methoxyl), especially pectin from lemon peel gives a DE coefficient > 50% corresponding to pectin HM (high-methoxyl).

The photodegradation efficiency of rhodamine B (RhB) dye present in water using aluminium-doped CeO2 (Ce1-xAlxO2-δ; x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) nanoparticles was studied in this work. The synthesis of nanoparticles was done by simple wet chemical precipitation route. The photochemical characteristics of Al doped CeO2 was studied by UV-visible (UV) and photoluminescence (PL) techniques. The photocatalytic removal of RhB dye was studied using the above nanomaterials as photocatalysts and the degradation efficiency was optimized by varying the pH and the concentration of dye solution under UV light. Among the samples studied, 0.02 g of sample with the composition of Ce0.50Al0.50O2-δ exhibited a higher photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 70.94% against RhB dye having concentration of 0.05 g/L at the pH of 11 under UV irradiation for 60 min at room temperature.

A new simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of formaldehyde in flour samples has been developed. Formaldehyde was quantified after derivatization with a readily available reagent, 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl hydrazine (TCPH) under basic conditions. The formaldehyde-TCPH derivative was eluted with chromatographic mobile phase of 70:30 (v/v) acetonitrile:water at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min–1; wavelength, 222 nm; injection volume, 50 μL, using a C18 ODS Hypersil column (250 mm × 4.5 mm, 5 μm). The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.001-10 μg mL-1 with R2 = 0.999. Recoveries at three different concentration levels (0.1, 1.0 and 5 μg mL-1) ranged from 92.0-101.7% with RSD less than of 2.2%. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.3 and 1.0 ng mL-1, respectively. The developed method was used for the determination of formaldehyde in various flour-based samples.

In this study a ‘wonder plant’ Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC., which is commercially important medicinal plant of the Fabaceae family known for its treatment in Central Nervous System disorders like Dementia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, etc. have been selected. Different germplasms have been collected to analyze the phytochemical variations between them and quantify the L-DOPA in root, stem, leaves and seeds of all the five germlines using HPLC. Along with the biochemical assays, antioxidant activity by DPPH, phosphomolybdneum method, the metal chelating and reductive potential activity of all the germplasms were studied. All parts of the plant have shown the presence of L-DOPA but, seeds have the highest quantity followed by the roots, stem and leaves. Arka Shubra seeds showed high L-DOPA content (51.9 mg/g) while the other germplasms showed L-DOPA ranging from 43-45 mg/g. Highest content of carbohydrates (258.8 mg/g) and phenolics (157.0 mg/g) was seen in the seeds of Arka Aswini. While the seeds and leaves of Arka Charaka showed high protein (332.2 mg/g) and flavonoid (10.2 mg/g) content, respectively. High proline (1.74 mg/g) was observed in the seeds of Arka Shubra. Antioxidant studies revealed that Arka Charaka and Arka Daksha to be having high reductive power and free radical scavenging activity by phosphomolybdate method while high metal chelating activity was observed in Arka Aswini (88.7%) and high antioxidant activity by DPPH method was seen in Arka Shubra (86.5%).

Chemical investigation of Dalbergia cultrata Grah. stems growing in Thailand resulted in the isolation and characterization of 14 known compounds, including tectorigenin (1), calycosin (2), pratensein (3), afromosin (4), irilin D (5), biochanin A (6), daidzein (7), formononetin (8), 8-O-methylretusin (9), 7,3′-dihydroxy-5′-methoxyisoflavone (10), (3S)-sativanone (11), (3S)-violanone (12), erycibenin D (13) and isoliquiritigenin (14). Their structures were established mainly based on NMR spectroscopic techniques and physical properties. The isolated compounds were evaluated for antifungal activity against Pythium insidiosum using disc diffusion assay. Antifungal drugs available now are not effective to treat this microorganism. It was found that compound 1 exhibited stronger antifungal activity than amphotericin-B standard with an MIC value of 10 μg/disc.

Asian Journal of Chemistry, a Multidisciplinary Chemistry Journal is an Peer Reviewed International Journal and publishes from India. The journal has been established since January 1989 on a firm foundation of International Quality Research. This Journal encompasses all branches of chemistry and its sub – disciplines like Pharmaceutical, Biological activities of Synthetic Drugs, Environmental Chemistry, Biochemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Petroleum Chemistry, and Agricultural Chemistry, etc.

Asian Journal of Chemistry, a Multidisciplinary Chemistry Journal is an Peer Reviewed International Journal and publishes from India. The journal has been established since January 1989 on a firm foundation of International Quality Research. This Journal encompasses all branches of chemistry and its sub – disciplines like Pharmaceutical, Biological activities of Synthetic Drugs, Environmental Chemistry, Biochemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Petroleum Chemistry, and Agricultural Chemistry, etc.