tungsten oxide a catalyst worth studying for the abatement and decontamination of chemical warfare agents

AbstractTungsten(VI) oxide, WO3, was studied and used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the liquid-phase oxidative abatement and solid-phase decontamination of simulants of chemical warfare agents, CWAs. The catalytic performance of WO3 was compared to the one of a soluble W-containing model catalyst, W(IV)-heptaisobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane, W-POSS. In liquid-phase abatement tests, WO3 promoted a complete degradation of the toxic agent simulant within 24 h, in the presence of aqueous hydrogen peroxide, at room temperature. In solid-phase decontamination tests, when WO3 was mixed with sodium perborate as a solid oxidant, it was also tested in the decontamination of a cotton textile support from organosulfide and organophosphonate agents (simulants of blistering and nerve CWAs, respectively), showing promising performances comparable to, or sometimes better than, a nanostructured TiO2 catalyst, taken as a reference material. The environmental impact of the WO3 catalyst was assessed on biolumi..

Daptomycin for Treatment of <i>S. Epidermidis</i> Endocarditis in an Extremely Preterm Neonate—Outcome and Perspectives

With a considerable morbidity and mortality burden, infective endocarditis still represents a challenge for clinicians. This is a case of persistent Staphylococcus epidermidis endocarditis in an extremely preterm newborn. The infection, initially treated with vancomycin, was successfully cured with daptomycin. Its use was safe and effective, ensuring a complete remission without adverse effects

A multi-technique approach to disclose the reaction mechanism of dimethyl carbonate synthesis over amino-modified SBA-15 catalysts

A series of amine-modified SBA-15 was employed as catalysts in the carbonate interchange reaction of ethylene carbonate with methanol to produce dimethyl carbonate (DMC). These materials exhibited good catalytic performances that strongly depended on the reaction temperature. A multi-technique approach was employed to disclose the role played by the different amine chains in driving the whole reaction. To this purpose, in situ FT-IR experiments were combined with theoretical calculations in order to explain the catalytic results observed in the presence of catalysts with different basic strength. A close correlation was found between the number and the nature of the alkylamine chains present in the SBA-15 pores and the capacity of the catalyst to activate the reagent molecules, as well as to stabilize the reaction intermediate. It was demonstrated that the ability of the catalyst to dissociatively adsorb methanol is the key factor for the proper choice of the catalytic system. Moreover, the capacity of the catalyst to stabilize the reaction intermediate has to be considered to allow the reaction to proceed so obtaining the desired final product (DMC)

Enhancing the open circuit voltage of dye sensitized solar cells by surface engineering of silica particles in a gel electrolyte

We prepared a quasi-solid electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) that consist of ionic liquid and modified silica particles. Commercial bare silica F5 particles and modified silica F5 by NH2 and NH3+ groups were prepared, and fully characterized. The best photovoltaic performance was observed using the NH2 modified silica particles giving an open circuit voltage (V-oc) of 815 mV, a short-circuit current (J(sc)) of 11.23 mA cm(-2), and a fill factor (FF) of 0.75 corresponding to an overall power conversion efficiency of 7.04% at 100 mW cm(-2) AM 1.5. The modification of the silica particles by NH2 groups increases the V-oc of DSSCs by around 60 mV compared to pure ionic liquid electrolyte based DSSCs

Antibiotic Prescriptions for Children With Community-acquired Pneumonia: Findings From Italy

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common reasons of prescribing antibiotics for children, often with overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The aim of this study is to describe the antibiotic prescriptions for Italian children with CAP, at the primary care level