Green Chemistry

Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) is a G-protein-coupled receptor critical in regulating inflammation, pain, and physiological functions such as wound healing and epithelial barrier integrity. Chronic PAR2 activation contributes to numerous inflammatory and immune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), asthma, and arthritis, and plays a role in tumor progression by promoting proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis.

Chitin, a polysaccharide abundantly sourced from squid pens and crustacean shells, is a versatile biopolymer with diverse applications. α-chitin is predominant in crustacean shells, exhibiting a hierarchical nanofibrillar organization interspersed with proteins and calcium carbonate. Recent attention has focused on chitin nanocrystals (CNCs), produced via acid hydrolysis, which exhibit exceptional mechanical, thermal, and optical properties owing to their high aspect ratio, large surface area, and distinctive crystalline structure.

Chitin, the most abundant aminopolysaccharide, can be found in the exoskeleton of crustacean shells, a major waste product of the fishing industry. The water-soluble derivative of chitin, chitosan, acquired through a process of deacetylation affords derivatization and processability of this natural biopolymer. Traditionally, deacetylation processes utilizing harsh chemical conditions and high energy inputs limiting scalability and sustainable practices. Furthermore, these methods result in depolymerization, presenting low molecular weight fragments.

Unsymmetrical ethers are generally synthesized via the Williamson ether method, but the unwanted formation of symmetrical ethers plus the basic and harsh conditions of the route pose a synthetic challenge. Other methods employed in the synthesis of unsymmetrical ether require the use of toxic mineral acids, and requires high catalyst loading which limits their large-scale application. Dehydration of alcohols in the presence of base-metal catalyst has, however, recently offered the greenest approach to synthesize unsymmetrical ethers, leaving water as by-product.

The development of biodegradable polymers derived from renewable resources has been motivated by the environmental impact of plastic waste. The objective of our research is to improve
the degradation rate of spiro-polyacetals by integrating linear acetal units into their structure while preserving their desirable thermomechanical properties. The polymer, VPA-CDVE, was produced by reacting vanillin-based spiro-acetal monomer (VPA) with cyclohexanedimethanol vinyl ether (CDVE). The polyacetal that resulted was characterized using NMR spectroscopy, which

This study presents the synthesis and functionalization of urea-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), specifically TMU18, TMU19, with a focus on their application to carbon dioxide conversion. MOFs were synthesized using urea-based organic ligands and commercially available pillaring linkers. The frameworks were then functionalized with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), taking advantage of their structural flexibility for efficient integration.

This work focuses on the development of sustainable strategies for carbon capture and utilization (CCU), a key technology for mitigating global warming by using CO₂ as a renewable carbon source.

Here we explored the role of quaternary ammonium salts in enhancing CO₂ capture and activation with NaBH₄. The presence of these salts resulted in both shorter reaction times and improved efficiency.