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Heavy metal cations such as Ag+, Pb2+, and Hg2+ can accumulate in living organisms, posing severe risks to biological systems, including humans. Therefore, removing heavy metal cations from wastewater is crucial before discharging them to the environment. However, trace levels and high-capacity removal of the heavy metals remain a critical challenge. This work demonstrates the synthesis and characterization of [Mo2S12]2− intercalated cobalt aluminum-layered double hydroxide, CoAl―Mo2S12―LDH (CoAl―Mo2S12), and its remarkable sorption properties for heavy metals. This material shows high efficiency for removing over 99.9% of Ag+, Cu2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ from 10 ppm aqueous solutions with a distribution constant, Kd, as high as 107 mL/g. The selectivity order for removing these ions, determined from the mixed ion state experiment, was Pb2+ < Cu2+ ≪ Hg2+ < Ag+. This study also suggests that CoAl―Mo2S12 is not selective for Ni2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+ cations. CoAl―Mo2S12 is an efficient sorbent for Ag+, Cu2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ ions at pH~12, with the removal performance of both Ag+ and Hg2+ cations retaining > 99.7% across the pH range of ~2 to 12. Our study also shows that the CoAl―Mo2S12 is a highly competent silver cation adsorbent exhibiting removal capacity (qm) as high as ~918 mg/g compared with the reported data. A detailed mechanistic analysis of the post-treated solid samples with Ag+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ reveals the formation of Ag2S, HgS, and PbMoO4, respectively, suggesting the precipitation reaction mechanism. 

Abstract Diosgenin, a hydrolyzed product of phytosteroid saponin, has widely been studied for its medicinal properties. In an effort to find bioactive molecules, 25 novel thiazole‐fused diosgenin molecules have been synthesized by an efficient reaction protocol. The chemistry involves the Oppenauer oxidation followed by double bond isomerization in a one‐pot reaction, epoxidation, and the reaction of urea derivatives with the epoxyketone to synthesize the target compounds. These novel chimeric compounds were tested for their potential antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties. Antimicrobial studies against a panel of Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative led to the discovery of some of these molecules as narrow‐spectrum antimicrobial agents againstBacillus subtilisbacteria. In preliminary cytotoxicity studies, 2‐fluorophenyl derivative (10) inhibited the growth of several cell lines of the NCI‐60 cell line panels including >93 % inhibition of UO‐31 cell line. Furthermore, the hit antibacterial compounds are non‐toxic to human cancer cell lines, and the cytotoxic compound is not active against the bacterial strains, showing the selective therapeutic potential of the chimeric compounds. 

Water constitutes an indispensable resource for global life but remains susceptible to pollution from diverse human activities. To mitigate this issue, researchers are committed to purifying water using a variety... 

This study reports an amorphous Zn_xMo₃S₁₃chalcogel, reveals its local structure, and shows outstanding Li/Zn_xMo₃S₁₃electrochemical performance enabled by its amorphous structure, Zn-mediated polysulfide anchoring, and a stable SEI layer. 

Abstract Despite large theoretical energy densities, metal‐sulfide electrodes for energy storage systems face several limitations that impact the practical realization. Here, we present the solution‐processable, room temperature (RT) synthesis, local structures, and application of a sulfur‐rich Mo₃S₁₃chalcogel as a conversion‐based electrode for lithium‐sulfide batteries (LiSBs). The structure of the amorphous Mo₃S₁₃chalcogel is derived throughoperandoRaman spectroscopy, synchrotron X‐ray pair distribution function (PDF), X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis, along with ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. A key feature of the three‐dimensional (3D) network is the connection of Mo₃S₁₃units through S−S bonds. Li/Mo₃S₁₃half‐cells deliver initial capacity of 1013 mAh g⁻¹during the first discharge. After the activation cycles, the capacity stabilizes and maintains 312 mAh g⁻¹at a C/3 rate after 140 cycles, demonstrating sustained performance over subsequent cycling. Such high‐capacity and stability are attributed to the high density of (poly)sulfide bonds and the stable Mo−S coordination in Mo₃S₁₃chalcogel. These findings showcase the potential of Mo₃S₁₃chalcogels as metal‐sulfide electrode materials for LiSBs.