Papers by Matteo Guidotti
Journal of the Siena Academy of Sciences, 2025
The dual use of hazardous chemicals underscores the complex interplay between risk and benefit. H... more The dual use of hazardous chemicals underscores the complex interplay between risk and benefit. Highly toxic or unstable chemicals, such as chlorine, ammonium nitrate, trinitrotoluene or fentanyl, are integral to various application domains, including industrial manufacturing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and medicine. Likewise, they also pose serious threats when misused. They can be repurposed for harmful activities, including criminal acts, terrorism or warfare. Stringent regulatory measures and ethical considerations are crucial to harness their potential, while safeguarding human health and the environment. In this delicate balance lies the true challenge and ethical responsibility of modern Chemistry.
Heliyon, 2024
A synthetic saponite clay containing structural Nb(V) metal centres (NbSAP) was investigated in t... more A synthetic saponite clay containing structural Nb(V) metal centres (NbSAP) was investigated in the abatement of paraoxon-ethyl, an anti-cholinergic organophosphorus pesticide, under mild conditions (neutral pH, room temperature and ambient pressure) in heterogenous phase, without additional basic additives. The material was selected according to its high surface acidity and ease of preparation through a one-step hydrothermal synthesis. The presence of Nb(V) ions played a crucial role in efficiently catalysing the degradation of aggressive chemical substrates. A niobium (V) oxide with very low surface acidity was also tested as a reference material. The study employed a multi-technique approach to monitor the pesticide degradation pathway and byproducts formed during abatement experiments in polar non-protic and aqueous solvents. Notably, in water, the concentration of paraoxon-ethyl significantly decreased by 82 % within the first hour of contact with the clay. Additionally, NbSAP demonstrated a good performance after three repeated catalytic cycles and subsequent reactivation.
International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2014
Nanomaterials , 2025
The increasing use of nanostructured silver-containing inorganic materials raises concerns about ... more The increasing use of nanostructured silver-containing inorganic materials raises concerns about their impact on aquatic organisms. This study assessed the toxicity of silver-modified bentonite composites on Chlamydomonas sp. Two materials were tested: silver-exchanged bentonite (Ben-Ag) and its reduced form (Ben-Ag (H2)).Microalgae were exposed to 0.5 IC 50 , 1.5 IC 50 , and 2 IC 50. Ben-Ag showed higher toxicity than Ben-Ag (H2), which even promoted algal growth at low doses. Fluorescence microscopy revealed morphological shrinkage in treated cells. Increased phenol content, elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and altered antioxidant enzyme activities further confirmed Ben-Ag toxicity, along with reduced growth and photosynthetic pigments. Transcriptomic analysis revealed significant changes in gene expression under Ben-Ag exposure. Genes involved in photosynthesis (petB, psbL), caspase activity (casp), and carotenoid metabolism (Q2CHY) were down-regulated, indicating stress-induced damage. In contrast, genes encoding stress response enzymes (SOD, peroxidase), carbon metabolism enzymes (rbcL, PGQ1), and βcarotene biosynthesis (Q2BKT) were up-regulated, reflecting cellular defense mechanisms. Overall, the study highlights the high toxicity of Ben-Ag to Chlamydomonas sp., emphasizing the importance of evaluating environmental risks before using such materials in aquatic environments.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
The Società Chimica Italiana (SCI; Italian Chemical Society) has announced its 2017 medal winners... more The Società Chimica Italiana (SCI; Italian Chemical Society) has announced its 2017 medal winners. We congratulate all the recipients, including Fabio Olmi (Medaglia Gabriello Illuminati), and feature the awardees who are associated with Angewandte Chemie and its sister journals here. Nino Russo (Università della Calabria) is the recipient of the Medaglia Amedeo Avogadro, which is awarded for internationally recognized contributions to the fundamental chemical sciences. Russo carried out his Laurea (completed in 1971) with A. Damiani at the Università di Roma, and was a postdoctoral researcher with Pietro Bucci at the Università della Calabria (1972-1973) and with Robert Kaptain at the University of Groningen (1974). He joined the faculty at the Università della Calabria in 1981, and was made Professor of Inorganic and General Chemistry there in 1994. Russos research interests include the development of DFT methods, computational catalysis and enzymology, anticancer drugs, photodynamic therapy, and the mechanism of antioxidants. He is coauthor of a report in Chemistry-A European Journal on theoretical studies of dehydrogenases. Gabriele Centi (Università di Messina) is the winner of the Medaglia Stanislao Cannizzaro, which is presented for outstanding original research. Centi, who was featured here when he received the Frontiers Award of the Max Planck Institute of Chemical Energy Conversion, [2a] is one of the Editorial Board Chairs of ChemSusChem, and is on the International Advisory Board of ChemCatChem. Centis research interests involve applied heterogeneous catalysis, chemical reaction engineering, and reaction mechanisms, in particular CO 2 utilization, chemical processes driven from renewable energy, and the development of photoelectrocatalytic devices. He has reported in Chem-SusChem on the production of urea from municipal waste. [2b] Antonio Facchetti (Northwestern University and Flexterra Corporation) is the recipient of the Medaglia Giulio Natta, which is awarded for internationally recognized contributions in the field of chemistry. Facchetti was featured here when he won the ACS Award for Creative Innovation. [3a] His research interests include (printed) organic electronics, organic photovoltaic cells and materials for multiphotonics, and contrast agents for MRI imaging. He is co-author of a report in Chemistry-A European Journal on solution-based organic field effect transistors. [3b] Chiara Gabbiani (Università di Pisa) has been honored with the Medaglia Ivano Bertini, which is awarded to researchers under the age of 40 for significant and innovative contributions to the chemical sciences. Gabbiani studied at the Uni-In this section, we report on various awards for chemists who are closely connected with Angewandte Chemie and its sister journals as authors, referees, or board members.
Dalton transactions, 2024
A set of organic/inorganic layered materials was obtained by functionalizing a montmorillonite-co... more A set of organic/inorganic layered materials was obtained by functionalizing a montmorillonite-containing bentonite natural clay with linear aliphatic C 6 or C 7 aldehydes through a cost-effective and technologically simple incipient-wetness deposition method. The solids were investigated by means of a multi-technique approach (X-ray powder diffraction, XRPD, scanning electron microscopy, SEM, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, FT-IR, thermogravimetric analysis, TGA, elemental analysis and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, ssNMR) to clarify the nature of the deposited organic species and the mode of interaction between the aldehyde and the clay. Since both natural clays and short-chain linear aldehydes find application as alternative strategies in the control of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, the hybrid layered materials were tested under real-life conditions and their insect-inhibiting capability was evaluated in open-field trials on olive tree orchards in Tuscany, Central Italy. Specific tests were conducted to evaluate the resistance of the solids to weathering and their capability to provide a constant and long-lasting release of the bioactive ingredient. Aldehyde-containing bentonite clays have shown promising performance in controlling B. oleae infestation (with up to 86-95% reduction of affected olive fruits) in open-field trials across two years in two locations with different pedological and meteo-climatic characteristics. † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See
La vía del diol precisa la presencia de agua, pero el benzaldehído se había detectado como subpro... more La vía del diol precisa la presencia de agua, pero el benzaldehído se había detectado como subproducto en la epoxidación de estireno en condiciones anhidras.
Deactivation of Molecular Sieves in the Synthesis of Organic Chemicals
Catalytic science series, Feb 1, 2011
Page 322. Chapter 17 DEACTIVATION OF MOLECULAR SIEVES IN THE SYNTHESIS OF ORGANIC CHEMICALS M. Gu... more Page 322. Chapter 17 DEACTIVATION OF MOLECULAR SIEVES IN THE SYNTHESIS OF ORGANIC CHEMICALS M. Guidotti and B. Lázaro 17.1. Introduction The term deactivation indicates any kind of progressive loss of activity of a catalyst with increasing reaction time. ...
Annales. Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of Bologna, Dec 12, 2023
The impact of present and past wars on the environment is significant and multifaceted. Direct ef... more The impact of present and past wars on the environment is significant and multifaceted. Direct effects of warfare include contamination of air, water and soil as well as damages to infrastructure. On the other hand, indirect effects on ecosystems include long-lasting detrimental impacts on natural resources, agriculture, forests, wildlife and, eventually, human life quality. The psychological effects of war on populations can also have indirect negative effects on the environment. It is therefore important to recognize the impact of military operations on the environment and to take steps to prevent or, at least, mitigate these effects, investing in environmental protection and conservation efforts, identifying deliberate crimes against the environment as well as promoting peace and conflict resolution. In times where being responsible and being accountable of our actions is an unavoidable duty, international rules are required to safeguard the environment during and after armed conflicts and to consider environmental crimes as relevant as crimes against humankind.
Journal of Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 2015
As it's known a lot of chemical substances of a different types are released to the environment a... more As it's known a lot of chemical substances of a different types are released to the environment and they form a big dangerous for living organisms. To prevent such threats there is necessary to provide continuously monitor not only the level of overall toxicity of the environment, but also to control the degree of stress on the genetic apparatus of living organisms, determining genotoxicity of various unfavorable factors, including various anthropological effects. The total toxicity may be determined with the participation of living organisms. In this review some most applicable methods with the using number of sensitive objects such as Daphnia sp., bioluminescent bacteria and plants are considered at the control of the total toxicity of environmental factors. It is described the main principles of the realization of these methods, peculiarities of their application and instrumental providing.
The Control of the Coordination Chemistry for the Genesis of Heterogeneous Catalytically Active Sites in Oxidation Reactions
Social Science Research Network, 2022
Annales. Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of Bologna, 2023
The impact of present and past wars on the environment is significant and multifaceted. Direct ef... more The impact of present and past wars on the environment is significant and multifaceted. Direct effects of warfare include contamination of air, water and soil as well as damages to infrastructure. On the other hand, indirect effects on ecosystems include long-lasting detrimental impacts on natural resources, agriculture, forests, wildlife and, eventually, human life quality. The psychological effects of war on populations can also have indirect negative effects on the environment. It is therefore important to recognize the impact of military operations on the environment and to take steps to prevent or, at least, mitigate these effects, investing in environmental protection and conservation efforts, identifying deliberate crimes against the environment as well as promoting peace and conflict resolution. In times where being responsible and being accountable of our actions is an unavoidable duty, international rules are required to safeguard the environment during and after armed conflicts and to consider environmental crimes as relevant as crimes against humankind.
Inorganica Chimica Acta, 2018
A class of titanium-grafted mesoporous silica catalysts has been designed and prepared starting f... more A class of titanium-grafted mesoporous silica catalysts has been designed and prepared starting from molecularly defined metal clusters. The organosol mixture of zerovalent Ti 13 clusters was impregnated onto the surface of ordered mesoporous silica molecular sieves (MCM-41 and MMM-2) and, after high-temperature calcination, an evenly dispersed non-single-site Ti(IV) n O x-like silicasupported catalyst was obtained. The catalytic solids, fully characterized by microscopic, spectroscopic and porosimetric techniques, showed standard performance in the liquid-phase epoxidation of a cyclic alkene, as limonene, but remarkably high selectivity values in the oxidative carboxylation of styrene, with tert-butylhydroperoxide and carbon dioxide in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide as a cocatalyst. Unprecedented high yields, up to 67%, in styrene carbonate were achieved after 24 h, under solvent-free conditions. The catalysts displayed also a noteworthy stability of the performance to repeated recovery and reuse cycles.
Nanomaterials: Structural Peculiarities, Biological Effects, and Some Aspects of Application
Problems and Pitfalls in the Applications of Zeolites and other Microporous and Mesoporous Solids to Catalytic Fine Chemical Synthesis
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd eBooks, Nov 7, 2006
Inorganically and organically modified mineral clays: a sustainable approach in the control of the olive tree fly pest, Bactrocera oleae
The most relevant phytophagous insect associated with olive tree plantations throughout the Medit... more The most relevant phytophagous insect associated with olive tree plantations throughout the Mediterranean area is Bactrocera oleae, the olive tree fly. Innovative and environmentally-friendly methods for the mitigation of such pest have been attracting an ever-increasing attention, especially after 2014, when the whole Italian olive oil production suffered from dramatic losses. Novel prevention strategies should meet four main criteria: toxicologic safety, environmental selectivity and compatibility, pest-control efficiency and economic sustainability. In this aim, two series of solids showing a detrimental effect on the life cycle of Bactrocera oleae have been designed and prepared, i.e. montmorillonite-based clays from mineral origin containing: i) Group 11 transition metal cationic species, such as Cu(II) and Ag(I) or ii) polyphenolic organic compounds derived from olive mill waste waters. The bioactive solid materials have been prepared either by ionic exchange from aqueous solutions of sulfate or nitrate metal precursors at various concentrations or by impregnation of the polyphenol-containing effluents onto the clay support, respectively (Scheme 1). In the case of metal-based solids, by optimising the ion-exchange procedure, a fully adequate bioactive metal content was reached for practical purposes, although reducing by more than 80% the use of precursor salts with respect to the current state of the art (1). These materials contain approx. 5 wt.% of active metal and possess acid sites, which not only, when dispersed on the fruit surface, inhibit the egg-laying activity of flies into the olives, but also catalytically-active metal cation sites with enhanced biocide effect against parasites of several crops (2). In polyphenol-modified solids, on the other hand, amounts of organics in the range of 0.9-2.6 wt.% can be deposited. Thanks to the immobilisation within the interlayer spaces of the clay, lower concentrations of bioactive species may be applied onto the olive tree, thus reducing the potential undesired dispersal of the active molecules into the environment. In order to evaluate the performance of the most promising solids in open-field tests, two sets of experimental campaigns have been carried out on olive tree orchards in Southern Tuscany, in summer 2015 and 2016. Preliminary promising results have been obtained with Cu(II) species and with aqueous-phase olive mill wastewaters deposited onto bentonite-like montmorillonite clays, in terms of reduction of both fly infestation and damages on the olive fruit. These materials have indeed proved to be easily prepared, cost effective, environmentally friendly, stable to rainwater leaching, toxicologically safe and led to a remarkable diminution in the use of bioactive species for on-field applications. References: 1. Baker, H. Desalination, 244 (2009) 48. 2. Belcari, A., Bobbio, E., Informatore Fitopatologico, 12 (1999) 52
Application of NMR relaxometry for real-time monitoring of the removal of metal ions from water by synthetic clays
Dalton Transactions, 2022
The removal of paramagnetic metal ions from aqueous solutions with a synthetic saponite clay was ... more The removal of paramagnetic metal ions from aqueous solutions with a synthetic saponite clay was monitored in real time by 1H NMR relaxometry.
Aromatic Acetylation
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd eBooks, Nov 7, 2006
ABSTRACT
Nanosized inorganic metal oxides as heterogeneous catalysts for the degradation of chemical warfare agents
Catalysis Today, Nov 1, 2016
Abstract Nanosized inorganic metal oxides, such as TiO2, ZnO, γ-Al2O3, are proposed as heterogene... more Abstract Nanosized inorganic metal oxides, such as TiO2, ZnO, γ-Al2O3, are proposed as heterogeneous catalysts for the oxidative degradation of chemical warfare agents (CWA), particularly of organosulfur toxic agents, into oxidised products with reduced toxicity. The morphology, structural and textural properties of the catalysts were investigated. Furthermore, their catalytic properties were evaluated in the oxidative abatement of (2-chloroethyl)ethylsulfide, CEES, a simulant of sulfur mustard (blistering CWA). Their performance was also compared to a conventional decontamination powder and a commercial Nb2O5 sample. The metal oxides powders were then employed in the active oxidative decontamination of CEES from a cotton textile substrate, mimicking a real contamination occurrence. Remarkable results in terms of abatement and degradation into desired products were recorded, achieving good conversions and decontamination efficiency with Nb2O5, TiO2 and γ-Al2O3, under very mild conditions, with hydrogen peroxide (as aqueous solution or as urea-hydrogen peroxide adduct), at room temperature and ambient pressure. In the aim of a real on-field use, the potential environmental impact of these solids was also evaluated by bioluminescence toxicity tests on reference bacteria (Photobacterium leiognathi Sh1), showing a negligible negative impact for TiO2, γ-Al2O3, and Nb2O5. A major biotoxic effect was only found for ZnO.
Chemical Warfare Agents: Weapons of Mass Destruction or Psychological Threats?
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Papers by Matteo Guidotti