Highly dispersed Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) catalysts covalently immobilized on imine-modified silica for cyclohexane oxidation with hydrogen peroxide

This paper describes the synthesis of Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) catalysts immobilized on imine-functionalized silica gel through a 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane linker. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by spectroscopic techniques, namely EDS, FTIR, UV-Vis, Si-29 MAS NMR, powder XRD and ESR spectroscopy. These analytical methods evidently confirmed the formation of silica-supported catalysts. Thermal properties of catalysts were studied between 30 and 800 degrees C by thermogravimetric-differential thermal gravimetric (TG-DTG) analysis. The surface roughness of the silica gel was increased upon modification but without losing its lumpy shape, as evidenced by SEM investigation. Magnified SEM and AFM images both suggested the high dispersive nature of the catalysts. Cyclohexane was successfully converted into cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone by the catalysts with the aid of hydrogen peroxide (oxidant). Comparatively, Cu(II) catalyst exhibited better cyclohexane conversion than the other two catalysts. The reusable nature of the catalysts was established by performing five consecutive catalytic runs with Cu(II) catalyst. Comparatively, the present reported catalytic systems were simple, reusable and effective models for higher cyclohexane conversion with better product selectivity

Preclinical and clinical trials of Indian medicinal plants in disease control

Since the ancient period, the medicinal plants have been used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Recently, it has gained extreme research importance for their nutraceuticals values. It has been confirmed by WHO that herbal medicines serve the health needs of about 80% of World’s population; especially for millions of people in the vast rural areas of developing countries. This book chapter summarizes the importance of several medicinal plants which are traditionally used in treatment and management of different ailments in India. In addition, some pharmacological models describe the possible mechanism of action of bioactive phytochemicals, which can be successfully used as drug candidates in near future. However, there is urgent need for basic scientific investigations on medicinal plants and this has been highlighted in current research trends in clinical trials