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ChemTexts
Number of Followers: 1  Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)ISSN (Online) 2199-3793 Published by Springer-Verlag  [2468 journals]
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- Migraine drugs
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Abstract: According to recent studies, migraine affects more than 1 billion people worldwide, making it one of the world’s most prevalent diseases. Although this highly debilitating illness has been known since ancient times, the first therapeutic drugs to treat migraine, ergotamine (Gynergen) and dihydroergotamine (Dihydergot), did not appear on the market until 1921 and 1946, respectively. Both drugs originated from Sandoz, the world’s leading pharmaceutical company in ergot alkaloid research at the time. Historically, ergot alkaloids had been primarily used in obstetrics, but with methysergide (1-methyl-lysergic acid 1′-hydroxy-butyl-(2S)-amide), it became apparent that they also held some potential in migraine treatment. Methysergide was the first effective prophylactic drug developed specifically to prevent migraine attacks in 1959. On the basis of significantly improved knowledge of migraine pathophysiology and the discovery of serotonin and its receptors, Glaxo was able to launch sumatriptan in 1992. It was the first member from the class of triptans, which are selective 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists. Recent innovations in acute and preventive migraine therapy include lasmiditan, a selective 5-HT1F receptor agonist from Eli Lilly, the gepants, which are calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists discovered at Merck & Co and BMS, and anti-CGRP/receptor monoclonal antibodies from Amgen, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and others. Graphical abstract
PubDate: 2023-04-03
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- Molybdenum and tungsten: oxides, suboxides and oxide hydrates
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Abstract: Synthesis, analysis, structure and applications of molybdenum and tungsten trioxides and dioxides as well as mixed-valence compounds have been described. The chapter What is behind ‘molybdic acid’ and ‘tungstic acid’' explains and corrects the incorrect terms ‘molybdic acid’ and ‘tungstic acid’ for the hydrates MoO3·nH2O (n = 1, 2) and WO3·nH2O (n = 1, 2, 0.5). The chapter Mixed molybdenum/tungsten trioxides highlights the use of MonW1−nO3 as antimicrobial substance. Graphical
PubDate: 2023-02-11
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00175-0
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- Chemistry in light-induced 3D printing
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Abstract: In the last few years, 3D printing has evolved from its original niche applications, such as rapid prototyping and hobbyists, towards many applications in industry, research and everyday life. This involved an evolution in terms of equipment, software and, most of all, in materials. Among the different available 3D printing technologies, the light activated ones need particular attention from a chemical point of view, since those are based on photocurable formulations and in situ rapid solidification via photopolymerization. In this article, the chemical aspects beyond the preparation of a formulation for light-induced 3D printing are analyzed and explained, aiming at giving more tools for the development of new photocurable materials that can be used for the fabrication of innovative 3D printable devices. Graphical abstract
PubDate: 2023-01-21
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00176-z
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- Gustav Theodor Fechner as natural scientist
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Abstract: To understand the present state of science, it is necessary to know its history. Gustav Theodor Fechner was one of the last German polymaths. His scientific achievements are presented here with special focus on electrochemistry, electricity, physics and psychophysics. Thus far, most publications have been written in German, and the presented overview in English will therefore introduce Fechner’s achievements to a non-German audience. Furthermore, it is the intention of the author to show science students that the all-embracing interests and expertise of Fechner were the basis of his lifework. This sharply contrasts with the overspecialisation of current university studies. Graphical
PubDate: 2023-01-20
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00174-1
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- Chemistry and geology of coal: nature, composition, coking, gasification,
liquefaction, production of chemicals, formation, peatification,
coalification, coal types, and ranks-
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Abstract: As probably the most complex natural (geological) material, as well as a parent of the industrial revolution and the most important source of heat and electricity in the world, coal has attracted and continues to attract special attention of scientists and the entire world population. In this context, this lecture text is intended to provide both chemistry and geology students as well as teachers of courses on the chemistry and geology of coal with a solid background of the chemistry and geology of coal. Various aspects of coal chemistry are covered, including the nature of coal, its composition, coking, gasification, liquefaction and production of chemicals. Coal geology concerns major eras of coal formation as well as the processes of peatification, coalification and the chemical processes of coalification, coal types and their properties, coal lithotypes and coal ranks. Each of these topics is an important subject in its own, and this text is aimed to give only a brief overview of each, emphasising the relationship between the geology and chemistry of coal. Graphical
PubDate: 2023-01-19
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00177-y
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- How chemistry shaped societies: the case of the Atacama Desert in Chile
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Abstract: Could the driest place in the world be a source of wealth for a country' This is the case for Chile and the Atacama Desert. The rise and fall of the saltpetre (NaNO3) industry is a very good example of how, in a short time (10 years), the development of a chemical technology reaches an exclusive fertilizer market and falls steeply when a new chemical technology (Haber–Bosch process) is developed, coupled with a global recession in 1930. This caused growth in Chile, a country that was growing rapidly, to stop abruptly, from the Great Depression until the middle of the twentieth century, when the copper mining boom began. However, the Atacama Desert continues to be a source of income for Chile, thanks to the extraction of copper and, recently, lithium. Solar plants are also a source of wealth. Graphical
PubDate: 2022-12-09
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00172-3
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- Natives of the Russian Empire in the laboratory of Jaroslav Heyrovský
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Abstract: In the 1920s, due to the First World War and subsequent events in the Soviet Union, many educated and ambitious young people of different nationalities were forced to leave the country where they were born. A lot of them ended up in Prague. Thanks to the policy of President Masaryk, students who did not complete their education in the Russian Empire or in the Soviet Union were allowed to continue their studies in Czechoslovakia. In this text, we focus on the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Jaroslav Heyrovský, where 13 students born in the Russian Empire worked in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, the basics of polarography were developed by the group of Heyrovský, and the first polarographic articles were published. Documents in the archives of the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation, as well as previously published articles about Heyrovský and his students, made it possible to trace the biographies of natives of the Russian Empire. Their work and life in Prague is a lasting testimony to the humanistic position of Heyrovský and the Czechoslovakian government during a most complicated period of history in Eastern Europe.
PubDate: 2022-11-28
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00171-4
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- Correction to: Fundamentals of froth flotation
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PubDate: 2022-11-19
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00173-2
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- Fundamentals of froth flotation
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Abstract: Froth flotation is a physicochemical process that is used to separate fine mineral particles from aqueous suspensions by selective attachment of some types of minerals to air bubbles. Froth flotation is the most important mineral processing technology for the production of valuable mineral concentrates from which metals and minerals are obtained. Practically all metals in use today were recovered, at some point in their production cycle, by froth flotation from ground ores. This article focuses on the surface properties of minerals relevant to froth flotation: wetting of mineral surfaces by water and surface charge characteristics of minerals in aqueous suspension. Interactions between mineral surfaces and flotation surfactants are discussed, starting from simple physical/electrostatic interactions to complex electrochemical reactions. The effect of surfactant adsorption on the froth flotation behavior of minerals is analyzed. Functions of other reagents used in froth flotation are summarized. Adsorption of surfactants at the gas–liquid interface in relation to gas dispersion and frothing phenomena is also discussed. Selected examples of industrial separation of minerals are given to highlight how the presented fundamentals are applied on an industrial scale. The froth flotation process is generally presented as an example of applied interfacial chemistry. This material should serve as an introduction to the subject at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
PubDate: 2022-10-18
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00170-5
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- Analytics at the nanometer and nanosecond scales by short electron pulses
in an electron microscope-
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Abstract: Chemical reactions and phase transformations in nanometer-size objects may happen at very short timescales, so conventional characterization tools are not applicable. A new technique combining high spatial and temporal resolution is ultrafast (or dynamic) electron microscopy, where short electron pulses are used instead of continuous electron beams. In a pump-probe approach, fast transformations of the objects are induced by laser pulses and monitored by short photoelectron pulses in a transmission electron microscope. This approach allows us to study fast reaction kinetics in individual nanoparticles and detect short-living transient states. First, the article briefly introduces transmission electron microscopy techniques and techniques for creating short electron pulses, finally leading to the principle of ultrafast TEM. In the second part, applications of ultrafast TEM in different fields of nanoscience are discussed with a focus on nanochemistry, where the analysis of nanoparticles with nanosecond resolution is realized. Graphical abstract
PubDate: 2022-10-03
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00169-y
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- Correction to: Quantitative considerations about the size dependency for
cellular entry and excretion of colloidal nanoparticles for different cell
types-
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PubDate: 2022-07-21
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00168-z
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- Responding to reviewers’ comments: tips on handling challenging
comments-
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Abstract: The goal of every author is to have their research work published. In the process of publishing a peer-reviewed article, authors are often required to revise their original manuscript based on the comments from the reviewers. Although some of these comments are straightforward and concise, others are conflicting and unclear and, as such, authors may find it challenging to plan and carry out the revision as well as compose the accompanying response letter. In this article I outline eight challenges in handling reviewers’ comments that may be useful for novice authors. In general, authors will always benefit from adopting a positive attitude towards reviewers’ comments and make the effort to improve their manuscript. Graphical abstract
PubDate: 2022-06-21
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00167-0
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- The world of inorganic pigments
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Abstract: Inorganic pigments have been very important substances for human life for thousands of years. They have contributed and continue to contribute to the beautification of our daily life and habitat and to the accentuation and differentiation of objects, and influence thoughts, moods, and feelings. The industrial manufacture of inorganic pigments based on growing chemical and physical knowledge started around 1800. Before that, pigments based on natural materials or manufactured by mostly empirical processes were used. Most of the technically relevant inorganic pigments were developed and first produced on an industrial scale in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Ongoing developments are aiming to improve existing conventional pigments as well as synthesize new, innovative colorants, especially in the classes of effect pigments and functional pigments. The objective of this text is to present comprehensive knowledge about inorganic pigments, including definitions, types of pigments and their properties, historical pigments, modern inorganic pigments, synthesis methods, and applications. It is also intended to show the current status of new pigment developments. Graphical abstract Collection of samples of inorganic pigments
PubDate: 2022-05-30
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00166-1
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- Intriguing minerals: quartz and its polymorphic modifications
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Abstract: This lecture text condenses the characteristics of quartz and its rich palette of varieties. The mineralogy and crystallography of quartz and its forms, the origin of its colors, and their important physical and chemical characteristics are discussed. The geological occurrence of quartz and its varieties in the world is also presented, with special attention to North Macedonia. Their applications in various industries are also included. Knowledge of the specific properties of SiO2 minerals is indispensable for understanding and reconstruction of geological processes, as well as for specific technical applications.
PubDate: 2022-05-10
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00165-2
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- Gas hydrates in nature and in the laboratory: necessary requirements for
formation and properties of the resulting hydrate phase-
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Abstract: Clathrate hydrates—also known as gas hydrates—are ice-like compounds consisting of gas and water molecules. They occur wherever elevated pressures and low temperatures prevail; and where enough water and hydrate-forming gas molecules are available. Therefore, natural gas hydrates occur at all active and passive continental margins, in permafrost regions, in some deep lakes, and under unfavorable circumstances, also, in pipelines. This article provides an overview of the (thermodynamic) requirements and various models for the nucleation and growth of gas hydrates and the different gas hydrate structures that may occur and which have been detected in nature. Furthermore, this study also shows the influence of the properties of the enclosed gas molecules such as size and shape on the structure and thermodynamic properties of the resulting hydrate phase. Finally, the complexity of a natural environment with regard to the various influences of sediments, microbial activity, and salinity of the pore fluid on hydrate formation is also discussed.
PubDate: 2022-04-06
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00164-3
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- Macrophages: shapes and functions
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Abstract: Macrophages are cells of the innate immune system and represent an important component of the first-line defense against pathogens and tumor cells. Here, their diverse functions in inflammation and tumor defense are described, and the mechanisms, tools, and activation pathways and states applied are presented. The main focus is on the role and origin of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the important signal pathways TLR/NF-κB, and the M1/M2 polarization of macrophages. Graphical abstract
PubDate: 2022-03-10
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00163-4
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- Partial molar properties
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Abstract: This lecture is devoted to the topic of partial molar properties. It includes discussion of the extensive and intensive thermodynamic properties, implementation of Euler’s homogeneous function theorem to chemical thermodynamics, implementation of the Gibbs-Duhem equation to partial molar properties, relative partial molar properties, expression of the partial molar properties through mole fractions of the components, methods of graphical determination of partial molar properties, methods of experimental determination of some partial molar properties and more recent extensions of the partial molar properties theory, including partial intensive properties, generalised partial molar properties and partial molar properties of heterogeneous mixtures.
PubDate: 2022-03-05
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00161-6
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- Aluminium production process: from Hall–Héroult to modern
smelters-
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Abstract: This article gives a brief overview of the history of modern aluminium production, which started with the invention of electrowinning of dissolved aluminium oxide in molten cryolite (Na3AlF6)-based electrolytes in 1886. All primary aluminium production is still based on the same principles, although numerous improvements and adoptions have been developed over the years. A historical development of the process is followed by brief fundamental and thermodynamic aspects of the reactions. Some of the most important developments are described, with a focus on the carbon anode production process. Carbon anodes, which are responsible for the majority of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the industry, are discussed thoroughly, and recent developments in inert anodes and utilization of biomass in anode formulation are presented. Finally, the environmental footprint of the process and the trends and objectives of the industry towards improving energy efficiency and mitigating environmental emissions are elaborated.
PubDate: 2022-02-25
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00162-5
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- Quantitative considerations about the size dependence of cellular entry
and excretion of colloidal nanoparticles for different cell types-
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Abstract: Most studies about the interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with cells have focused on how the physicochemical properties of NPs will influence their uptake by cells. However, much less is known about their potential excretion from cells. However, to control and manipulate the number of NPs in a cell, both cellular uptake and excretion must be studied quantitatively. Monitoring the intracellular and extracellular amount of NPs over time (after residual noninternalized NPs have been removed) enables one to disentangle the influences of cell proliferation and exocytosis, the major pathways for the reduction of NPs per cell. Proliferation depends on the type of cells, while exocytosis depends in addition on properties of the NPs, such as their size. Examples are given herein on the role of these two different processes for different cells and NPs.
PubDate: 2022-01-25
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-021-00159-6
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- Writing and publishing a scientific paper
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Abstract: This text is designed to give the reader a helping hand in writing a scientific paper. It provides generic advice on ways that a scientific paper can be improved. The focus is on the following ethical and non-technical issues: (1) when to start writing, and in what language; (2) how to choose a good title; (3) what should be included in the various sections (abstract, introduction, experimental, results, discussion, conclusions, and supporting information (supplementary material); (4) who should be considered as a co-author, and who should be acknowledged for help; (5) which journal should be chosen; and (6) how to respond to reviewers’ comments. Purely technical issues, such as grammar, artwork, reference styles, etc., are not considered. Graphical abstract
PubDate: 2022-01-11
DOI: 10.1007/s40828-022-00160-7
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