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Chemistry

Chemistry is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal on chemistry published monthly online by MDPI.

Quartile Ranking JCR - Q3 (Chemistry, Multidisciplinary)

All Articles (780)

The increasing use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) highlights the need for accessible and reliable biomarkers to assess nicotine exposure. Fingernails represent a non-invasive and stable keratin matrix capable of capturing the long-term incorporation of xenobiotics such as cotinine, the primary metabolite of nicotine. This study aimed to optimise cotinine extraction from fingernails using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a central composite design prior to quantification by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Three extraction variables were evaluated: NaOH concentration, extraction temperature, and extraction time. Numerical optimisation identified the optimal conditions as 3.74 M NaOH, 50 °C, and 40 min, yielding a predicted recovery of 84.06% with a high desirability value of 0.973. The calibration curve demonstrated excellent linearity (R2 = 0.9998), with a limit of detection of 14.5 µg kg−1 and a limit of quantification of 43.8 µg kg−1. The RSM model exhibited strong predictive performance, with an R2 of 0.9990, an adjusted R2 of 0.9982, and a predicted R2 of 0.9958, supported by a non-significant lack of fit and robust residual diagnostics. Application of the optimised protocol to real fingernail samples successfully differentiated e-cigarette smokers from non-smokers based on characteristic cotinine-associated FTIR spectral features and quantitative measurements, demonstrating the practical utility of the proposed method. Overall, this study establishes a rapid, chromatography-free, and cost-effective analytical approach for monitoring long-term nicotine exposure using keratin-based matrices.

6 January 2026

FTIR spectrum of cotinine standard highlighting absorption bands corresponding to functional groups in the cotinine molecule.

This study investigates the synthesis and photochemical behavior of a series of (E)-1-aryl-1,3-butadienes with different aromatic substituents. Despite their simple structure and straightforward preparation, detailed studies of their photochemical properties, especially UV light-induced (E) to (Z) isomerization, are scarce. Our results demonstrate that these compounds can efficiently undergo photo-triggered geometric changes, highlighting their potential as functional units in photochemical applications. The findings underline the significance of extended conjugation in managing excited-state processes, providing new insights into the dynamics of photoinduced transformations in conjugated diene systems. Additional computational analyses show how geometric modifications influence conformational energies in the synthesized compounds. Overall, these results improve understanding of structure–reactivity relationships and lay the foundation for designing photoresponsive materials based on (E) and (Z)-1-aryl-1,3-butadiene frameworks, with promising applications in photochemistry and materials science.

31 December 2025

(A) Chemical structures of (A) (E)-ferulic acid, (Z)-ferulic acid, (E)-DHZ, (Z)-DHZ, (E)-DHZ-OMe, (Z)-DHZ-OMe. (B) (E)-1-aryl-1,3-butadiene and (Z)-1-aryl-1,3-butadiene.
  • Communication
  • Open Access

This paper presents accurate TD-DFT calculations for several mixed-ligand gold(III) complexes with ligands including Cl, Br, I, OH, and NH3. The calculated results show excellent agreement with available experimental data. The spectral shapes are determined by charge transfer transitions, which are systematically influenced by the ligand’s position in the spectrochemical series. The main vertical electron transitions and the molecular orbitals involved are identified and discussed. Furthermore, the results indicate that the iodide-containing gold(III) complexes, [AuCl2I2] and [AuI(OH)3], are viable candidates for practical synthesis.

29 December 2025

TD-DFT calculated UV–Vis spectra of [AuCl4−nBrn]− (n varies from 1 to 4). Experimental values of peaks maxima adopted from Figure 4b in paper [15] are given in parentheses.

This study examines the activity coefficients of benzene, toluene, and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) in binary benzene–D2EHPA and toluene–D2EHPA systems, as well as the ternary n-hexane–toluene–D2EHPA system, using gas chromatography at 293.0 K. The primary objective was to determine UNIFAC model interaction parameters and validate their accuracy for predicting thermodynamic behavior in these systems. Experimental measurements revealed activity coefficient maxima for benzene and toluene at mole fractions of 0.8–0.9, decreasing to 0.46–0.67 in dilute solutions. The UNIFAC interaction parameters were calculated as follows: ACH–HPO4 (−334, 4605), ACCH3–HPO4 (680, 467), and refined CH2–HPO4 (54, 1199). The UNIFAC model achieved deviations of less than 2% from experimental data in both binary and ternary systems. A novel methodology incorporating intermediate standards for gas chromatography was developed to overcome challenges in measuring volatile solvent concentrations, enhancing measurement precision. These findings enable accurate prediction of activity coefficients in mixtures of alkanes, cycloalkanes, and monoaromatic hydrocarbons with D2EHPA, offering significant implications for optimizing metal liquid–liquid extraction processes.

23 December 2025

Contour lines of the function F for the hexane–D2EHPA system: (a) contour lines of relative deviations between theoretical and experimental values of activity coefficients of volatile component; (b) sequential descent method for minimum deviation determination.

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Chemistry - ISSN 2624-8549