Herein, we report the synthesis of a carbon-supported palladium-based tri-metallic nanocatalyst (cat-G) and its successful application to facilitate the oxidative homocoupling of aromatic and aliphatic terminal alkynes. The catalyst contains significantly less amount of total metal content (20%) and was characterized using x-ray photoelectron and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopies, x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. Our implementation of EtOH as a solvent medium along with minimal catalyst loading for the synthesis of symmetrical 1,3-diynes under aerial oxidation without the aid of any ligand unveils simple and milder reaction conditions for C(sp)-C(sp) coupling reactions. The protocol displays a broad substrate scope, and the catalyst possesses simple recovery along with moderate recyclability up to five catalytic cycles.

Oxime ethers have increasingly emerged as versatile scaffolds in synthetic organic chemistry owing to their widespread prevalence in biologically relevant motifs and utility in diverse transformations. However, the design of a unified strategy to facilitate the O-alkylation of oximes using alkylating agents of varying substitution (primary, secondary, and tertiary) remains underexplored. Herein, we present the synthesis of a series of primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl-substituted oxime ethers by treating various aldoximes and ketoximes with aryl-substituted alkyl chlorides. Instead of relying on multiple reagents, our methodology leverages the ability of CH3CN to trigger halogen bonding and achieve the targeted oxime ether under simple and straightforward metal-free reaction conditions. Interestingly, the addition of a base was found to be beneficial for the formation of primary O-alkyl oximes presumably by aiding nucleophilic substitution (SN2), whereas tertiary and secondary alkyl-substituted oxime ethers could be accomplished without any reliance on a base. The existence of halogen bonding interactions to achieve tertiary and secondary O-alkyl oximes is reinforced via UV-Vis and FT-IR analyses together with DFT calculations. Furthermore, the protocol featured a broad substrate scope and afforded the target product in good to excellent yields (71-97%) along with successful gram-scale synthesis.

We report an efficient ligand- and base-free strategy for the regioselective N2-arylation of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles with arylboronic acids using commercially available CuO nanoparticles as a catalyst. Copper-based nanoparticles are particularly favoured for their natural abundance, low cost, and versatility in organic transformations, especially C-N bond formation. This protocol is compatible with a variety of functionalized tetrazoles and arylboronic acids. The CuO nanocatalyst can be easily recovered and reused up to three times without significant loss of activity. Notably, one of the synthesized 2,5-disubstituted tetrazoles exhibited promising antibacterial activity against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with a zone of inhibition measuring 19 +/- 1.4 mm.

Polymeric graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C3N4 ) have gained enormous recognition for their suitability in the sustainable industry. This polymeric material has a π-bonded planar layered structure similar to that of graphite, which helps to anchor metal nanoparticles, N-rich basic surface sites, a large surface area, and high thermal stability. They can be easily obtained through a one-step polymerization of raw materials like urea, melamine, thiourea, and cyanamide. These surfaces have been effectively utilized to obtain desirable conversions in carbon-carbon cross-couplings like Suzuki-Miyaura, Sonogashira, Stille, and Heck coupling reactions. The following chapter discusses the various heterogeneous modifications of graphitic carbon nitride, along with its applications in carbon-carbon bond-formation reactions developed by various research groups. It particularly focuses on the role of graphitic carbon nitride as a heterogeneous catalytic support, a photocatalyst, and a component of hybrid catalysts for C-C Cross-Coupling Reactions.

ABSTRACTN‐Arylated heterocyclic molecules are extensively found as key components in numerous pharmaceutical and agrochemical compounds. Herein, inexpensive 1,10‐phenanthroline‐assisted copper‐catalyzed sustainable greener methodology has been developed for N‐arylation of indoles and pyrrole under commercial base and additive‐free conditions. Waste biomass–derived water extract of banana peel ash (WEB) has been used as safe reaction medium and base instead of hazardous solvents, and hence, the current green protocol has achieved an environmentally benign profile. Reaction of pyrrole with aryl iodides and electronically diverse indoles with aryl iodides/aryl bromides in the presence of CuI as catalyst, 1,10‐phenanthroline as ligand, and WEB as a base and solvent at 100°C has furnished N‐arylated product within 12 h. Reaction of indoles with aryl iodides furnished up to 93% yields while aryl bromides resulted in up to 54% yield of the desired product. The utilization of waste biomass derivative for organic transformation reaction is the key step of this protocol, which is in consistence with the goals of green chemistry.

MicroRNAs are found to regulate various biological processes which are produced from precursor microRNA. As the length of such microRNA are small, homology-based searching is not very useful. Hence, various machine learning based tools have been designed for prediction of such hairpin loops using various thermodynamic and sequential features. In this research, we discuss about the comparative statistical analysis of various features used the in development of machine learning based predictive tools. The sequence features of insect precursor microRNA were compared with precursor microRNA of other available organisms. We initially established that features such as Length, GC content, Minimum Free Energy (MFE) of folding, etc., differs in insects as compared to other organisms using Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test. We further trained a predictive model for one-vs-rest binary classification using XGBoost between insects, human, monocots, aves, ruminants, sauria, dogs and rodents. We performed PCA and retained 14 principal components for classification using cumulative explained variance. Various parameters of XGBoost was tuned with 5-fold CV and the parameter values with highest CV score were considered. We used independent held-out data test the models. The accuracy of insect, monocots, rodents, human, ruminants, sauria, aves and dogs was found to be 0.8549, 0.8626, 0.6835, 0.7005, 0.8875, 0.6972, 0.7591 and 0.6588 respectively. This shows that ancestral lineage specific ML models can be developed for detection of precursor microRNA for different classes of organism.

Mushrooms, regarded as an underutilized natural resource, have recently gained attention for their diverse bioactive compounds, including peptides, polysaccharides, fatty acids, phenols, and terpenoids, with demonstrated antimicrobial, antioxidant, and plant growth-promoting properties. Certain mushroom compounds exhibit inhibitory effects on plant pathogens, positioning them as promising resources for sustainable agriculture. In this review, we discuss the potential of mushrooms, particularly edible varieties, as rich sources of biologically active compounds for agricultural applications. In light of the challenges associated with synthetic pesticides, this review highlights the need for environmentally friendly alternatives. Integrated pest management strategies, emphasizing natural and biological means, offer viable options to reduce the reliance on synthetic pesticides. The potential of botanical pesticides, including those derived from edible mushrooms (EMs), has been explored as a promising alternative in pest management. Additionally, the paper discusses the commercialization potential of EM-derived pesticides given their marketability as edible products. Overall, this review emphasizes the multifaceted potential of EM-derived bioactive compounds as alternative biopesticides in agriculture, suggesting avenues for further research and development.

Oxime ethers are extensively present as key components in numerous active pharmaceutical ingredients and many other synthetically viable organic compounds. Herein, we present a metal, base and additive free mild C-O bond formation strategy for the synthesis of oxime ethers from various oxime derivatives and tertiary and secondary aryl alcohols. The reaction is carried out in the presence of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) as the green solvent at 30 °C. The reaction tolerates both aldoximes and ketoximes including ketoximes bearing heteroatoms, furnishing high yields (up to 99%). The formation of a triphenylmethyl carbocation as an intermediate is supported via UV-Vis spectroscopy. Successful gram-scale synthesis of the oxime ether, low energy input and simple reaction conditions further highlight the potential of this reaction to effectively transition from the laboratory scale to industrial production. A broad substrate scope compatibility was also observed.

Contemporary modes like photocatalysis and electrocatalysis can not only bring about transformations equivalent to the existing conventional Chan‐Lam methodologies but are also compatible with traditionally difficult substrates, particularly electron‐deficient aryl boronic acids. Transition metals like Ir III and Ru II behave as single‐electron oxidants under visible light. Primarily, photocatalyzed Chan‐Lam reactions commences from the usual Cu/Ni‐catalyzed Chan‐Lam reaction mechanism. Simultaneously, the photocatalytic cycle gets initiated from a visible light induced MLCT to produce an excited metal‐complex; which then undergoes SET to facilitate the final oxidation step from Cu I → Cu II of the mechanistic cycle. Photocatalysts can thus circumvent the need of external oxidants. Other interesting reaction mechanisms involving a proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) process, a photocatalytic‐autocatalytic mechanism, a dual‐photoexcitation mechanism are also discussed in this review. Heterogeneous catalysts with a suitable band‐gap also behave as photocatalysts due to creation of electrons and holes on photoirradiation of the metal surface. On the other hand, electrocatalysis plays a significant role in refining the Cu I generated during the reaction and thus grants an improved reaction side‐product profile. Electrocatalyzed Chan‐Lam reactions through the use of pulsed electrochemistry technique and redox mediators are also discussed in the review.

The ortho-directing nature of the carboxylic acid functional group has been utilized in the traceless C6 arylation of C2-substituted benzoic acids with aryl iodides under palladium catalysis to afford meta-substituted biphenyls. The reaction is seen to follow a cascade pathway involving traceless carboxylate directed C2 arylation followed by decarboxylation. The utilization of a bulky protic solvent such as pivalic acid removes the need of higher amounts of the arylating agents as required in the earlier protocols. Theoretical studies further reveal the tandem directed arylation-decarboxylation pathway.

A mild and efficient Pd-catalyzed protocol has been developed for the direct synthesis of aryl ketones through a reaction of arylboronic acids (and their ester derivatives) with aromatic as well as aliphatic nitriles. The reaction operates under mild conditions using minimal amounts of PTSA as a cost-effective acid additive and water as the sole solvent, enhancing the sustainability of the process. This method exhibits excellent functional group tolerance and a broad substrate scope, delivering both diaryl and alkyl aryl ketones in moderate to excellent yields. Notably, the utility of this methodology is demonstrated via the synthesis of (4-methoxyphenyl)(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)methanone (PHT), a pharmaceutically relevant compound, in a remarkable yield of 96%.

Antheraea assamensis Helfer is an economically important, endemic, lepidopteran insect native to Northeast India that produces a lustrous golden-coloured silk of distinct quality and durability. To date, the gut microbiota of A. assamensis has remained largely unexplored. The present work aimed to comprehensively identify and characterize the gut microbial community of A. assamensis through culture-independent approach. The gene expression analysis of the gut microbial community was studied through metatranscriptomic analysis. The influence of the host leaf-associated microbiota on larval gut microbial composition and its variation to changes in host plant was also investigated. The results have identified over 30 bacterial and archaeal phyla indicating a highly diverse gut microbial community of A. assamensis dominated by Proteobacteria (25.78

A coumarin compound 7-diethylaminocoumarin (DEAC) and its substituted derivative coumarin-6-CF3 (CCF3) were synthesized, characterized and their photophysical behavior have been investigated by steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Both the investigated systems show appreciable modulation in photophysical properties depending on the nature of the solvent medium and in presence of sequestering agents like cyclodextrin nanocavities and/or human serum albumin (HSA). Quantitative estimation of different solvent parameters responsible for the modulated spectral features were done from multiple linear regression analysis of the experimental data based on Kamlet-Taft and Catalan formalisms. Significant modulation in fluorescence quantum yield in polar-protic medium and/or highly viscous glycerol solution for CCF3 in comparison with the model compound DEAC was due to donor-acceptor functionalization in the former. This additional excited state charge transfer possibility led to very large excited state dipole moment change in CCF3 and resulted almost similar to 90 nm solvent dependent fluorescence peak shift. Multi-pronged experimental results in conjunction with molecular docking calculation revealed moderate binding affinity of the investigated systems towards HSA. Additionally, the coumarin derivatives were evaluated for its anticholinergic activity using in-vitro acetylcholinesterase enzymatic assay. The results demonstrated a significant inhibition of cholinergic activity, particularly for donor-acceptor functionalized CCF3, highlighting the potential therapeutic application of it. The study provides important insights into the molecular interactions and pharmacological properties of these promising coumarin derivatives, which could serve as a basis for the development of new drug candidates targeting cholinergic pathways.

Among all types of cancer, breast cancer is the most aggressive, as it is responsible for most of the cancer related death of women. Though several medical therapies are available, the scenario of curing such disease is not favorable. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find alternatives to deal with it. The knowledge of ethnopharmacy might give some better solution to mitigate such deadly diseases. Here, we are using the rhizome of Curcuma caesia Roxb. (Black turmeric), as well as gold nanoparticles (GNPs) synthesized with it to check their specific cytotoxic potentiality against breast cancer cell lines. In our study, ethanolic extract was used to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of the rhizome. GNPs were synthesized by using the same extract and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The TEM, XRD, FTIR and TGA results revealed the successful synthesis and capping of GNPs. The UV-Vis Spectrum showed a sharp and narrow absorption peak at 550 nm and HRTEM confirmed both the stability and successful synthesis of the nanoparticles. The MTT assay of the crude extract revealed strong cytotoxicity against breast cancer cell lines viz. MCF-7 (ER+) and MDA MB-231 (Triple Negative Breast Cancer, TNBC) by showing IC50 values as 15.70 +/- 0.029 and 21.57 +/- 0.031 mu g/mL respectively. For extract mediated GNPs, the IC50 values were found to be 6.44 +/- 0.045 and 5.87 +/- 0.031 mu g/mL respectively in both breast cancer cell lines. As the IC50 value for GNPs was found to be much lower than that of crude extract, it indicates a higher efficiency of the GNP. However, both the rhizome extract and its mediated GNPs showed more toxicity towards MDA MB-231 (TNBC) cell lines. It was also observed that the GNPs showed more toxicity towards TNBC cell lines compared to the rhizome extract. No toxicity was found in case of other cell lines such as L 929 and HeLa for both crude extract as well as for GNPs. These observations suggests that both the crude rhizome extract and its derived GNPs exhibit selective cytotoxic potential against breast cancer cell lines, which might be exploited for target specific treatment. Moreover, with an understanding of the mechanism behind the GNPs therapeutic efficiency, it can be developed as a personalized therapy to treat such type of cancers.

Sodium-rich zeolite A and zeolite X (FAU-type) samples were synthesised from LD-slag via fusion-assisted hydrothermal treatment. The physicochemical and thermal stability of the prepared samples were examined with the help of various characterisation techniques, namely, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) analysis at three different pH conditions and treatment time. Moreover, the sustainability of the crystalline phase and the corresponding zeolite network was evaluated from XRD, FTIR, TGA and Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) analysis. Zeolite A depicts a unique cubical structure and is thermally more stable as compared to zeolite type-X. Also, zeolite A showed the highest dye removal efficiency of 98.13%, as compared to 94.47% for zeolite X, along with equilibrium sorption capacities of 25.30 and 23.57 mg g(-1), respectively. In addition, the study proposes that both the synthesised adsorbents are effective and economically sustainable for cationic methylene blue adsorption. Furthermore, methylene blue adsorption was regulated by a multistage diffusion process that agreed with a pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R-2 = 0.999 and 0.996 for A- and X-type zeolites). The Langmuir isotherm model best suited the equilibrium data, with monolayer adsorption capacities of 20 and 25.40 mg g(-1), respectively.

Immunogenic peptide epitopes that cause celiac disease are present in both the gliadin and glutenin fractions of the gluten protein found in cereals like wheat, rye and barley. Aptamers as a promising alternative to antibodies were developed only against the gliadin fraction and its constituent immunogenic peptide. However, for accurate assessment of the immunogenic peptides in food products through aptamer-based detection methods, there is a scope for developing aptamers against celiac disease epitopes in glutenin fractions. Here we report the development of aptamer against the immunogenic peptide sequence GQGQQGYYPTSPQQ of high molecular weight glutenin having celiac disease epitope. The aptamer was selected using magnetic bead-based SELEX (Mag-SELEX) method and characterised by ITC and circular dichroism. ITC experiment reveals that the dissociation constant (Kd) of selected aptamer Apt_J91P for primary binding site is 2.26 μM, and for secondary binding site, it is 4.385 mM in aptamer binding buffer. The binding mechanism of the aptamer with target was found to be enthalpy and entropy driven. Circular dichroism experiments show that aptamer forms stem and loop secondary structure. The limit of detection (LOD) of aptamer calculated by direct-ELAA method was found to be 16.0875 µM. We conclude that aptamer Apt_J91P can be successfully used for detecting celiac disease epitopes in glutenin and further improvement/modification would help in the development of sensitive aptasensors.

Muga silkworm (Antheraea assamensis), one of the economically important wild silkmoths, is unique among saturniid silkmoths. It is confined to the North-eastern part of India. Muga silk has the highest value among the other silks. Unlike other silkmoths, A. assamensis has a low chromosome number (n = 15), and ZZ/ZO sex chromosome system. Here, we report the first high-quality draft genome of A. assamensis, assembled by employing the Illumina and PacBio sequencing platforms. The assembled genome of A. assamensis is 501.18 Mb long, with 2697 scaffolds and an N50 of 683.23 Kb. The genome encompasses 18,385 protein-coding genes, 86.29% of which were functionally annotated. Phylogenetic analysis of A. assamensis revealed its divergence from other Antheraea species approximately 28.7 million years ago. Moreover, an investigation into detoxification-related gene families, CYP450, GST, and ABC-transporter, revealed a significant expansion in A. assamensis as compared to the Bombyx mori. This expansion is comparable to Spodoptera litura, suggesting adaptive responses linked to the polyphagous behavior observed in these insects. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular basis of evolutionary divergence and adaptations in muga silkmoth. The genome assembly reported in this study will significantly help in the functional genomics studies on A. assamensis and other Antheraea species along with comparative genomics analyses of Bombycoidea insects.

A system utilizing palladium(II)-PEG has been devised for the intramolecular Heck cyclization of N-vinyl and N-allyl-2-haloanilines. The synthesis of a variety of indoles, including 2,3-diester substituted ones and 3-methyl indoles, has been accomplished using this catalytic system. The N-vinyl starting materials are obtained by the aza-Michael addition of 2-haloanilines with alkynecarboxylate esters, which, upon cyclization, yield ester-substituted indoles. Conversely, N-allyl-2-haloanilines yield 3-methylated indoles as the major products. The high activity of the system is owed to the in situ generation of Pd nanoparticles.

This review presents a brief discussion on the numerous synthetic techniques used to prepare metal nanoparticles supported on various two-dimensional (2D) materials. Special emphasis has been given to graphene and other 2D analogues such as g-C3N4, h-BN, MoS2, WS2 etc. supported metal nanoparticles. In addition to these, this review outlines the applications of the developed metal nanoparticles-2D composite materials for catalytic coupling reactions, which have recently emerged as a promising strategy in carbon-heteroatom or carbon-carbon bond formation. The effect of size and morphology of metal nanoparticles-2D composite materials on their catalytic performance toward different coupling reactions such as Suzuki, Heck, Sonogashira, etc. have been discussed in detail.

Cricula trifenestrata Helfer (commonly known as Amphutukoni muga/Cricula silkworm), a wild sericigenous insect produces golden yellow silk similar to Antheraea assamensis (muga silkworm), with significant potential as a natural fiber and biomaterial. Cricula is considered as a pest as it competes for food with muga, which produces the prized golden silk. This study focuses on decoding the mitochondrial genome of C. trifenestrata using next-generation sequencing technology and includes comparative analysis with Bombycoids and other lepidopteran insects. We found that the Cricula mitogenome spans 15 425 bp and exhibits typical gene content and arrangement consistent with other Saturniids and lepidopterans. All protein-coding genes were found to undergo purifying selection, with the highest and lowest conservation observed in the cox1 and atp8 gene, respectively, indicating their potential role in future evolutionary events. We identified two types of mismatches: 23 "G-U" and 6 "U-U" pairs, similar to those found in Actias selene among the Saturniids. Additionally, our study uncovered the presence of two 33 bp repeat units and a "TTAGA" motif in the control region, in contrast to the typical "ATAGA" motif, suggesting functional similarity with evolving sequences. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis supports the close relationship of Cricula with other species within the Saturniidae family.