RSC Advances Blog

‘HOT’ articles!

10 Mar 2014

Our referees have spoken once again and chosen the below ‘HOT’ articles. Please have a gander and let us know what you think in the comments section below:

Mn²⁺/graphene oxide nanocomposite efficiently catalyzes the epoxidation of alkenes with H₂O₂
Weiguo Zheng, Rong Tan, Lili Zhao, Yaju Chen, Chuanwu Xiong and Donghong Yin
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 11732-11739
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47183G

Enzymatic oxidation as a potential new route to produce polysaccharide aerogels
Kirsi S. Mikkonen, Kirsti Parikka, Jussi-Petteri Suuronen, Abdul Ghafar, Ritva Serimaa and Maija Tenkanen
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 11884-11892
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47440B

Sensitive and regenerable organochalcogen probes for the colorimetric detection of thiols
Shah Jaimin Balkrishna, Ananda S. Hodage, Shailesh Kumar, Piyush Panini and Sangit Kumar
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 11535-11538
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA00381K

And remember – these articles are free to access for 4 weeks!

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Turmeric – potential ingredient to anti-cancer therapies

27 Feb 2014

By Liz Bowley.

A potential ingredient to anti-cancer therapeutics has been reviewed by Elizabeth Gillies and colleagues, of The University of Western Ontario.

Turmeric, a spice commonly used in curries, contains a natural polyphenol called curcumin, which has been revealed as a promising anti-cancer therapeutic.

Tautomeric forms of curcumin and nanoparticle drug delivery systems

The undesirable properties and side effects of current anti-cancer therapeutics have inspired scientists to search for a natural remedy which may be better tolerated. Curcumin has been demonstrated to inhibit cancer cell survival and to induce apoptosis without promoting the development of side effects.

Studies comparing the incidences of cancer in India and the West revealed that there was a lower risk of cancer in India. It is proposed that a major contribution to these statistics could be the increased intake of plant derivatives, such as curcumin, into the diet. In Asia, turmeric has been used for its medicinal properties for more than two thousand years!

In the 1800s scientists were able to isolate the curcumin molecule, but the structure wasn’t elucidated until 1910 – it is the structure which is responsible for its unique physiochemical and biological properties:

Often used as a dye due to its vibrant colour.
Increases the thermal stability of collagen, used for dermal wound healing.
Stability is maintained at room temperature allowing it to be used for medicinal purposes.

Traditional medicine has used curcumin to treat several conditions including inflammation, respiratory infections and blood clotting, but there is a rapidly growing interest in its effects on cancer.

Curcumin has yet to be licenced as a drug, possibly due to its susceptibility to rapid degradation in a wide range of environments and its sensitivity to pH and light. Under certain conditions curcumin becomes unstable and degrades, yielding other compounds. As many drug delivery systems tend to stabilize curcumin it needs to be determined whether it is curcumin itself or its degradation products that provided the biological activities observed.

To find out more about the chemical properties, bioactivity and approaches to cancer cell delivery of curcumin, read the full review by clicking the link.

Curcumin, a promising anti-cancer therapeutic: a review of its chemical properties, bioactivity and approaches to cancer cell delivery
Melessa Salem, Sohrab Rohani and Elizabeth Gillies
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA46396F

Access is free* until the 28.03.14 for registered users

*Access is free for 4 weeks through a registered RSC account – click here to register

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‘HOT’ articles – take a look!

21 Feb 2014

By Aliya Anwar.

Our referees have selected the below ‘HOT’ articles for this month. Please have a read and let us know your thoughts below!

Utilization of the photophysical and photochemical properties of phosphorescent transition metal complexes in the development of photofunctional cellular sensors, imaging reagents, and cytotoxic agents
Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo, Steve Po-Yam Lia
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 10560-10585
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47611A

Carbon-based quantum dots for fluorescence imaging of cells and tissues
Pengju G. Luo, Fan Yang, Sheng-Tao Yang, Sumit K. Sonkar, Liju Yang, Jessica J. Broglie, Yun Liu and Ya-Ping Sun
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 10791-10807
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47683A

Automated system for extraction and instantaneous analysis of millimeter-sized samples
Jie-Bi Hu, Ssu-Ying Chen, June-Tai Wu, Yu-Chie Chen and Pawel L. Urban
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 10693-10701
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA48023B

These articles are free to access for 4 weeks!

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10 of the Highest Cited RSC Advances Articles from 2013

13 Feb 2014

By Liz Bowley.

Here are 10 of the highest cited RSC Advances articles published in 2013:

Thermo-responsive fluorescent vesicles assembled by fluorescein-functionalized pillar[5]arene
Huacheng Zhang, Xing Ma, Junfei Guo, Kim Truc Nguyen, Quan Zhang, Xiao-Jun Wang, Hong Yan, Liangliang Zhu and Yanli Zhao.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 368-371
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22123C

Bioinspired self-cleaning surfaces with superhydrophobicity, superoleophobicity, and superhydrophilicity
Shunsuke Nishimoto and Bharat Bhushan.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 671-690
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA21260A

Organocatalytic enantioselective decarboxylative Michael addition of beta-ketoacids to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones
Young Ku Kang, Hyun Joo Lee, Hyoung Wook Moon and Dae Young Kim.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 1332-1335
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA21945J

First application of core-shell Ag@Ni magnetic nanocatalyst for transfer hydrogenation reactions of aromatic nitro and carbonyl compounds
Manoj B. Gawande, Huizhang Guo, Anuj K. Rathi, Paula S. Branco, Yuanzhi Chen, Rajender S. Varma and Dong-Liang Peng.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 1050-1054
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22143H

3-Substituted 2-phenyl-indoles: privileged structures for medicinal chemistry
Henrik Johansson, Tanja Bøgeløv Jørgensen, David E. Gloriam, Hans Bräuner-Osborne and Daniel Sejer Pedersen.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 945-960
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA21902F

Towards artificial neurons and synapses: a materials point of view
Doo Seok Jeong, Inho Kim, Martin Ziegler and Hermann Kohlstedt.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 3169-3183
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22507G

Rational design on n-type organic materials for high performance organic photovoltaics
Christos L. Chochos, Nikos Tagmatarchis and Vasilis G. Gregoriou.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 7160-7181
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA22926B

Recent advances in electrochemical glucose biosensors: a review
Chao Chen, Qingji Xie, Dawei Yang, Hualing Xiao, Yingchun Fu, Yueming Tan^a and Shouzhuo Yao.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 4473-4491
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22351A

Laser flash synthesis of graphene and its inorganic analogues: An innovative breakthrough with immense promise
Prashant Kumar
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 11987-12002
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA41149D

Aqueous biphasic systems: a benign route using cholinium-based ionic liquids
Shahla Shahriari, Liliana C. Tomé, João M. M. Araújo, Luís Paulo N. Rebelo, João A. P. Coutinho, Isabel M. Marrucho and Mara G. Freire.
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 1835-1843
DOI: 10.1039/C2RA22972B

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Dr Amitava Das joins the RSC Advances Editorial Board

07 Jan 2014

By Mary Badcock, Deputy Editor.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Amitava Das (CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, India) to the RSC Advances Editorial Board.

Amitava graduated from Jadavpur University in Kolkata (India) and pursued his Ph.D degree at the same University. After postdoctoral stint in the group of Professor Jon A. McCleverty at Birmingham University and then at Bristol University (UK), he joined the CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (India) in 1992. He was elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 2010 and the National Academy of Science (India) in 2012. In 2013, Amitava moved to the Organic Chemistry Division of the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (Pune, India). His major research interests focus on synthetic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and photoinduced processes for developing materials for molecular recognition, sensing, bioimaging, diagnostic and DSSC applications.

We are delighted to welcome Amitava and his expertise to the Editorial Board and look forward to working with him.

The end of 2013 also marks the retirement of Professors T. N. Guru Row, Suning Wang and Marcos Eberlin from the Editorial Board as they finish their terms. We would like to thank them all for their support of RSC Advances over the last few years and their help in shaping and guiding the journal from it’s launch in 2011.

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Toilet purification system doubles as hydrogen fuel cell

02 Jan 2014

By Aliya Anwar.

An electrolysis cell that couples energy storage with water purification and reuse has been developed as part of a wider project to make a self-sustaining toilet.

The electrochemical system reduces the yellow colour of wastewater at the same time as producing hydrogen

Electrochemical approaches to water purification are not unknown but often focus on wastewater in industrially developed areas. Michael Hoffmann, and colleagues at the California Institute of Technology in the US, hope their electrochemical water splitting method for purifying human waste, at the same time as generating hydrogen gas, will eventually be introduced into areas with underdeveloped infrastructure.

Read the full article at Chemistry World.

Electrochemical treatment of human waste coupled with molecular hydrogen production
Kangwoo Cho, Daejung Kwon and Michael R. Hoffmann
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 4596-4608
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA46699J

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Reclaiming spilt oil

24 Dec 2013

By Mary Badcock, Deputy Editor.

The ability to recover oil from land-based spills should reduce the cost of decontamination

Scientists in Canada have shown they can recover oil from contaminated sand using surfactants whose emulsion stabilising ability is deactivated by carbon dioxide.

Land-based oil spills can be remedied by taking the sand (or soil away) for washing. The sand is heated and mixed with a surfactant solution, before the oil containing emulsion is removed to leave clean sand. However, the entire emulsion must be disposed of as hazardous waste.

Switchable surfactants could offer a less wasteful solution. Unlike normal surfactants, switchable surfactants can be switched off by an external trigger, allowing the oil and water phases to separate, by destabilising the emulsion.

The negative surface charges on sand particles mean that surfactants for cleaning oil contaminated sand need to be anionic. Cationic switchable surfactants were pioneered by Philip Jessop and his colleagues at Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, in 2006, and now the team have created an anionic version.

To release oil captured by Jessop’s carboxylate and phenolate anionic surfactants carbon dioxide is bubbled through the emulsion, acidifying the aqueous phase. This switches the surfactant structure from anionic to neutral, disrupting the emulsion by removing its ability to stabilise the oil/water interface. The oil separates and can be decanted for reuse and sale. Decarbonising the solution will switch the surfactants back on.

Read the rest of the story by Emily Skinner in Chemistry World!

Read the original research paper in RSC Advances:

Switchable anionic surfactants for the remediation of oil-contaminated sand by soil washing
Elize Ceschia, Jitendra R. Harjani, Chen Liang, Zahra Ghoshouni, Tamer Andrea, R. Stephen Brown and Philip G. Jessop
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 4638-4645
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA47158F, Paper

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HOT papers in RSC Advances

05 Dec 2013

By Aliya Anwar.

Here are the latest HOT papers published in RSC Advances:

Size-adjustable annular ring-functionalized mesoporous silica as effective and selective adsorbents for heavy metal ions
Fa-Kuen Shieh, Chia-Teng Hsiao, Hsien-Ming Kao, Yu-Chein Sue, Kuan-Wei Lin, Chang-Cheng Wu, Xi-Hong Chen, Lei Wan, Ming-Hua Hsu, Jih Ru Hwu, Chia-Kuang Tsung and Kevin C.-W. Wu
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 25686-25689
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA45016C

A quantitative assessment of the production of ˙OH and additional oxidants in the dark Fenton reaction: Fenton degradation of aromatic amines
Claudio Minero, Mirco Lucchiari, Valter Maurino and Davide Vione
RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 26443-26450
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA44585B

Synthesis of dibenzyl carbonate: towards a sustainable catalytic approach
Giulia Fiorani and Maurizio Selva
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 1929-1937
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA42904K

All the papers listed above are free to access for the next 4 weeks!

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RSC Advances breaks new ground

27 Nov 2013

By Valerie Simpson.

For a new journal, RSC Advances has already seen significant successes:

The first articles were published just 16 weeks after the journal was announced in April 2011
It was the first chemistry journal to use topic modelling technology to automatically classify articles into one or more of 12 subject categories.
2000 articles were published by November 2012, with the journal moving to weekly issues

And now this journal is pushing the boundaries again.

The RSC Advances Issue in Progress image

From Issue 1 of 2014, RSC Advances is moving to article-based publishing, with articles assigned page numbers and published in an Issue in Progress as soon as they are in their final (fully edited and formatted) form.

As an author, this means you will receive your RSC Advances page numbers much faster.

And as a reader, you can now decide how you’d like to view articles, with the options of ordering the issue by article type, pagination, subject, or date published.

But that’s not all – the next level of topic modelling technology has just been introduced, so you can easily drill down to the topics most relevant to your research. For example, the energy category is now subdivided into eight sections, covering: biofuels & biomass; biotechnology; fossil fuels; electrochemical energy; hydrogen; materials & nanotechnology; nuclear power; and solar energy. Other subject categories have between seven and sixteen sub-categories – you can view them here.

Plus you can now select subject-specific table of content alerts – taking you straight to the most relevant articles.

Visit the RSC Advances homepage to explore these new developments – and if you have any comments, please contact us.

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RSC Advances Blog

‘HOT’ articles!

Top 10 most-accessed articles: October – December 2013

Turmeric – potential ingredient to anti-cancer therapies

‘HOT’ articles – take a look!

10 of the Highest Cited RSC Advances Articles from 2013

Dr Amitava Das joins the RSC Advances Editorial Board

Toilet purification system doubles as hydrogen fuel cell

Reclaiming spilt oil

HOT papers in RSC Advances

RSC Advances breaks new ground

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