Functional Group-Directed Photochemical Reactions of Aromatic Alcohols, Amines, and Thiols Triggered by Excited-State Hydrogen Detachment: Additive-free Oligomerization, Disulfidation, and C(sp2)-H Carboxylation with CO2

Phytochemical-assisted synthesis, optimization, and characterization of silver nanoparticles for antimicrobial activity

The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) bacteria poses a major global health threat, compounded by the limited development of new antibiotics. To address this challenge, alternative strategies, including nanoparticle-based therapies, are being explored. This study investigates the antimicrobial properties of green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) derived from leaf extracts of Ocimum gratissimum (OG), Apium graveolens (AG), and Aloe arborescens (AA). These plant extracts act as reducing, capping, and stabilizing agents during the synthesis process. By controlling the reaction parameters, the synthesized AgNPs displayed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks at 434, 427, and 435 nm for OG, AG, and AA, respectively, indicating successful nanoparticle formation. The particles were predominantly spherical, with average sizes of 28.5 ± 6.3 nm (AgNPs-OG), 15.07 ± 3.8 nm (AgNPs-AA), and 20.2 ± 2.5 nm (AgNPs-AG), although some particles exhibited triangular and cylindrical shapes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of crystalline, face-centered cubic (FCC) metallic silver, while Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) identified functional groups such as alcohols, amines, amides, carboxyl, and esters capping the surface of AgNPs. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) further confirmed the purity of the AgNPs. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized AgNPs was tested against Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus bacteria. Notably, AgNPs demonstrated high antimicrobial efficacy, particularly with smaller-sized, spherical particles showing superior performance. The minimum inhibitory concentration was as low as 1.016 μg mL-1, highlighting the strong antimicrobial potential of AgNPs, whereas the minimum bactericidal concentration was recorded for E. coli, indicating greater susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria to AgNPs and a concentration-dependent bactericidal effect. A comparison analysis showed that the antimicrobial effectiveness of the aqueous extract was significantly enhanced when AgNPs were incorporated, whereas higher antimicrobial performance was observed for green-synthesized AgNPs compared with wet chemically synthesized AgNPs reported in the literature. This is attributed to enhanced biocompatibility and a synergistic effect between the nanoparticles and plant-derived bioactive compounds. The mechanism of action of AgNPs involves silver ion (Ag+) release and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation via surface oxidation and photoactivation. These findings underscore the potential of green-synthesized AgNPs as an alternative strategy in mitigating AMR.

Harnessing Visible/UV Light for the Activation and/or Functionalization of C-H Bonds: Metal- and Photocatalyst-Free Approach

Photosynthesis in plants has inspired photochemical reactions in organic chemistry. Synthetic organic chemists always seek cost-effective, operationally simple, averting the use of toxic and difficult-to-remove metallic catalysts, atom economical, and high product purity in organic reactions. In the last few decades, the use of light as a catalyst in organic reactions has increased exponentially as literature has exploded with examples, particularly by using toxic and expensive metal complexes, photosensitizers like organic dyes, hypervalent iodine, or by using inorganic semiconductors. In this report, we have selected a few interesting examples of photochemical reactions performed without using any metallic catalyst or photosensitizers. These examples use the inherent potential of reactants to utilize light energy to initiate chemical reactions. Our main emphasis is to highlight the structural features in the reactants that can absorb light energy or form an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex during the reaction to initiate the photochemical reaction. Considering the high degree of variability in the photochemical reactions, the utmost care has been taken to present the most accurate reaction conditions. A short introductory section on photochemical reactions will act as an anchor that will revolve around the examples discussed and explain the underlying principle of the photochemical reaction mechanism.