High Selectivity Filter Employing Stepped Impedance Resonators, Series Capacitors and Defected Ground Structures for Ultra Wide Band Applications

The paper presents a compact planar Ultra Wide Band ¯lter employing folded stepped impedance resonators with series capacitors and dumb bell shaped defected ground structures. An interdigital quarter wavelength coupled line is used for achieving the band pass characteristics. The transmission zeros are produced by stepped impedance resonators. The ¯lter has steep roll o® rate and good attenuation in its lower and upper stop bands, contributed by the series capacitor and defected ground structures respectively.

A PVC plasticized membrane sensor for nickel ions

A new PVC membrane sensor, which is highly selective towards Ni (II) ions, has been developed using a thiophene-derivative Schiff base as the ionophore. The best performance was exhibited by the membrane having the composition percentage ratio of 5:3:61:31 (ionophore:NaTPB:DBP:PVC) (w=w), where NaTPB is the anion excluder, sodium tetraphenylborate and DBP is the plasticizing agent (dibutyl phthalate). The membrane exhibited a good Nernstian response for nickel ions over the concentration range of 1.0 10 1– 5.0 10 6M (limit of detection is 1.8 10 6 M) with a slope of 29.5 1.0mV per decade of activity. It has a fast response time of<20 s and can be used for a period of 4 months with good reproducibility. The sensor is suitable for use in aqueous solutions of a wide pH range of 3.2–7.9. The sensor shows high selectivity to nickel ions over a large number of mono-, bi- and trivalent cations. It has been successfully used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of nickel ions against EDTA and also for direct determination of nickel content in real samples – wastewater samples from electroplating industries and Indian chocolates.

A PVC Plasticized Membrane Sensor for Nickel Ions

A new PVC membrane sensor, which is highly selective towards Ni (II) ions, has been developed using a thiophene-derivative Schiff base as the ionophore. The best performance was exhibited by the membrane having the composition percentage ratio of 5:3:61:31 (ionophore:NaTPB:DBP:PVC) (w=w), where NaTPB is the anion excluder, sodium tetraphenylborate and DBP is the plasticizing agent (dibutyl phthalate). The membrane exhibited a good Nernstian response for nickel ions over the concentration range of 1.0 10 1– 5.0 10 6M (limit of detection is 1.8 10 6 M) with a slope of 29.5 1.0mV per decade of activity. It has a fast response time of<20 s and can be used for a period of 4 months with good reproducibility. The sensor is suitable for use in aqueous solutions of a wide pH range of 3.2–7.9. The sensor shows high selectivity to nickel ions over a large number of mono-, bi- and trivalent cations. It has been successfully used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of nickel ions against EDTA and also for direct determination of nickel content in real samples – wastewater samples from electroplating industries and Indian chocolates.

A PVC Plasticized Sensor for Ni(II) Ion Based on a Simple Ethylenediamine Derivative

new PVC membrane ion selective electrode which is highly selective towards Ni(II) ions was constructed using a Schiff base containing a binaphthyl moiety as the ionophore. The sensor exhibited a good Nernstian response for nickel ions over the concentration range 1.0 × 10–1 – 5.0 × 10–6 M with a lower limit of detection of 1.3 × 10–6 M. It has a fast response time and can be used for a period of 4 months with a good reproducibility. The sensor is suitable for use in aqueous solutions in a wide pH range of 3.6 – 7.4 and works satisfactorily in the presence of 25% (v/v) methanol or ethanol. The sensor shows high selectivity to nickel ions over a wide variety of cations. It has been successfully used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of nickel ions against EDTA and also for the direct determination of nickel content in real samples: effluent samples, chocolates and hydrogenated oils.

Alkylation of Benzene with I-Octene over Titania Pillared Monmorillonite

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid, the largest-volume synthetic surfactant, in addition to its excellent performance , is important due to its biodegradable environmental friendliness, as it has a straight chain and is prepared by the sulphonation of linear alkylbenzenes (LAB). To ensure environmental protection, the commercial benzene alkylation catalysts HF or AICI3 are replaced and we have developed a clean LAB production process using a pillared clay catalyst capable of not only replacing the conventional homogeneous catalyst, but also having high selectivity for the best biodegradable 2-phenyl LAB isomer .Pillared clay catalysts having high Bronsted acidity show efficient conversion in gas phase alkylation of benzene with 1-octene with a good 2-phenyl octane selectivity.

Organocatalysis by poly(amidoamine) dendrimers; Knoevenagel and Mannich reactions catalyzed in water

Knoevenagel condensation between carbonyl compounds and active methylene compounds as well as three component Mannich reaction between aldehydes, ketones and amines proceeded smoothly in water with good to excellent yield and high selectivity in the presence of zero and first generation poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers. The products and the catalyst were separated by simple biphasic extraction. The catalyst was found to be reusable.

Synthesis,characterization and application studies of some polymer supported metal complexes

Polymer supports are efficient reagents,substrates and catalysts and they are extensively used for carrying out reactions at controlled rates.Tailor-made polymer supports are highly versatile which have opened an excellent area of research.Now polymer supported chemistry is being exploited at an amazing rate and it seems to join the routine world of organic synthesis.Polymer supported ligands are found to be efficient complexing agents whose high selectivity enables the analysis and removal of heavy metal ions which are toxic to all the living organisms of land and sea.polymer supported membranes function as ion selective potentiometric sensors which allow the exchange of specific ions among other ions of the same charge.In this investigation three series of polymeric schiff bases and three series of metal complexes have been prepared.An attempt is done to develop optimum conditions for the removal of heavy metal ions using polymeric schiff bases.A novel copper sensor electrode have also been prepared from polymer supported metal complex.

Development of Macrocyclics based Electrochemical Sensors

Electroanalytical techniques represent a class of powerful and versatile analytical method which is based on the electrical properties of a solution of the analyte when it is made part of an electrochemical cell. They offer high sensitivity, accuracy, precision and a large linear dynamic range. The cost of instrumentation is relatively low compared to other instrumental methods of analysis. Many solid state electrochemical sensors have been commercialised nowadays. Potentiometry is a very simple electroanalytical technique with extraordinary analytical capabilities. Since valinomycin was introduced as an ionophore for K+, Ion Selective Electrodes have become one of the best studied and understood analytical devices. It can be used for the determination of substances ranging from simple inorganic ions to complex organic molecules. It is a very attractive option owing to the wide range of applications and ease of the use of the instruments employed. They also possess the advantages of short response time, high selectivity and very low detection limits. Moreover, analysis by these electrodes is non-destructive and adaptable to small sample volumes. It has become a standard technique for medical researchers, biologists, geologists and environmental specialists. This thesis presents the synthesis and characterisation of five ionophores. Based on these ionophores, nine potentiometric sensors are fabricated for the determination of ions such as Pb2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Sal- ion (Salicylate ion). The electrochemical characterisation and analytical application studies of the developed sensors are also described. The thesis is divided into eight chapters

“A comparative study of medium and large pore zeolites in alkylation reactions”

Zeolites have established themselves as industrial catalysts for over two decades for a variety of hydrocarbon processing reactions where acidity and shape selectivity are important factors. As solid catalysts, zeolites may be advantageous and superior compared to their homogenous counterparts due to their characteristic properties. It is only in recent years that the utility of zeolites for organic synthesis is recognized for producing specific organic intermediates and fine chemicals in high selectivity. In this thesis an attempt has been made to compare the catalytic activity of some medium and large pore zeolites in a few alkylation and acylation reactions. The work reported in the present study is basically centered around the following zeolites namely, ZSM-5, mordenite, zeolite Y and beta. The major reactions carried out were benzoylation of o-xylene, propionylation of toluene and anisole and benzylation of oxylene. . The programme involves the synthesis, modifications and characterization of the zeolite catalysts by various methods. The influence of various parameters such as non-framework cations, Si/Al ratio of zeolites, temperature of the reaction, catalyst concentration, molar ratio of the reactants and recycling of the catalysts were also examined upon the conversion of reactants and the formation of the desired products in the alkylation/ acylation reactions. The general conclusions drawn by us from the results obtained are summarized in the last chapter of the thesis. Zeolite beta ofi'ers interesting opportunities as a potential catalyst in alkylation reactions and the area of catalysis by medium and large pore zeolites is very fascinating and there is plenty of scope for further research in this field. Moreover, zeolite based catalysts are effective in meeting current industrial processing and more stringent environment pollution limits.

Novel Electrochemical and Fluorescence Sensors for Food Additives and Neurotransmitters

There is an enormous demand for chemical sensors in many areas and disciplines including chemistry, biology, clinical analysis, environmental science. Chemical sensing refers to the continuous monitoring of the presence of chemical species and is a rapidly developing field of science and technology. They are analytical devices which transform chemical information generating from a reaction of the analyte into an measurable signal. Due to their high selectivity, sensitivity, fast response and low cost, electrochemical and fluorescent sensors have attracted great interest among the researchers in various fields. Development of four electrochemical sensors and three fluorescent sensors for food additives and neurotransmitters are presented in the thesis. Based on the excellent properties of multi walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), poly (L-cysteine) and gold nanoparticles (AuNP) four voltammetric sensors were developed for various food additives like propyl gallate, allura red and sunset yellow. Nanosized fluorescent probes including gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and CdS quantum dots (QDs) were used for the fluorescent sensing of butylated hydroxyanisole, dopamine and norepinephrine. A total of seven sensors including four electrochemical sensors and three fluorescence sensors have been developed for food additives and neurotransmitters.