Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) represent one of the most effective classes of disinfectant agents in dental materials and resin nanocomposites. This reviews aims to give a wide overview on the ...research in the field of antibacterial QACs in dental materials and nanocomposites.
An introduction to dental materials components as well as the microorganisms and methods of evaluation for the antimicrobial assays are presented. Then, the properties and synthesis route of QACs, as monomer and filler, are shown. Finally, antimicrobial monomers and fillers, specifically those contain quaternary ammonium salts (QASs), in dental materials are reviewed.
QACs have been used as monomer and micro/nanofiller in restorative dentistry. They possess one or more methacrylate functional groups to participate in polymerization reactions. QACs with multiple methacrylate groups can also be used as crosslinking agents. Furthermore, QACs with chain length from ∼12 to 16 have higher antimicrobial activity in cured dental resins. In general, increasing the chain length leads to a threshold value (critical point) and then it causes decrease in the antimicrobial activity.
The current state of the art of dental materials and resin nanocomposites includes a wide variety of antimicrobial materials. Among them, QACs presents low cytotoxicity and excellent long-term antimicrobial activity without leaching out over time.
The air filtration materials with high efficiency, low resistance, and extra antibacterial property are crucial for personal health protection. Herein, a tree‐like polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ...nanofibrous membrane with hierarchical structure (trunk fiber of 447 nm, branched fiber of 24.7 nm) and high filtration capacity is demonstrated. Specifically, 2‐hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride terminated hyperbranched polymer (HBP‐HTC) with near‐spherical three‐dimensional molecular structure and adjustable terminal positive groups is synthesized as an additive for PVDF electrospinning to enhance the jet splitting and promote the formation of branched ultrafine nanofibers, achieving a coverage rate of branched nanofibers over 90% that is superior than small molecular quaternary ammonium salts. The branched nanofibers network enhances mechanical properties and filtration efficiency (99.995% for 0.26 µm sodium chloride particles) of the PVDF/HBP‐HTC membrane, which demonstrates reduced pressure drop (122.4 Pa) and a quality factor up to 0.083 Pa−1 on a 40 µm‐thick sample. More importantly, the numerous quaternary ammonium salt groups of HBP‐HTC deliver excellent antibacterial properties to the PVDF membranes. Bacterial inhibitive rate of 99.9% against both S. aureus and E. coli is demonstrated in a membrane with 3.0 wt% HBP‐HTC. This work provides a new strategy for development of high‐efficiency and antibacterial protection products.
A hyperbranched polymer with tunable positive quaternary ammonium salt groups is synthesized to serve as an additive for PVDF electrospinning, demonstrating enhanced jet splitting of spinning solution to generate hierarchical tree‐like nanofibrous membrane with branched ultrafine nanofibers with a high coverage rate over 90%, which delivers high filtration efficiency, low pressure drop, and excellent antibacterial activity for air filtration application.
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) belong to a well-known class of cationic biocides with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. They are used as essential components in surfactants, personal ...hygiene products, cosmetics, softeners, dyes, biological dyes, antiseptics, and disinfectants. Simple but varied in their structure, QACs are divided into several subclasses: Mono-, bis-, multi-, and poly-derivatives. Since the beginning of the 20th century, a significant amount of work has been dedicated to the advancement of this class of biocides. Thus, more than 700 articles on QACs were published only in 2020, according to the modern literature. The structural variability and diverse biological activity of ionic liquids (ILs) make them highly prospective for developing new types of biocides. QACs and ILs bear a common key element in the molecular structure-quaternary positively charged nitrogen atoms within a cyclic or acyclic structural framework. The state-of-the-art research level and paramount demand in modern society recall the rapid development of a new generation of tunable antimicrobials. This review focuses on the main QACs exhibiting antimicrobial and antifungal properties, commercial products based on QACs, and the latest discoveries in QACs and ILs connected with biocide development.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significantly increased human exposure to the widely used disinfectants quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs). Xenobiotic metabolism serves a critical role in the ...clearance of environmental molecules, yet limited data are available on the routes of QAC metabolism or metabolite levels in humans. To address this gap and to advance QAC biomonitoring capabilities, we analyzed 19 commonly used QACs and their phase I metabolites by liquid chromatography–ion mobility–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–IM–MS/MS). In vitro generation of QAC metabolites by human liver microsomes produced a series of oxidized metabolites, with metabolism generally occurring on the alkyl chain group, as supported by MS/MS fragmentation. Discernible trends were observed in the gas-phase IM behavior of QAC metabolites, which, despite their increased mass, displayed smaller collision cross-section (CCS) values than those of their respective parent compounds. We then constructed a multidimensional reference SQLite database consisting of m/z, CCS, retention time (rt), and MS/MS spectra for 19 parent QACs and 81 QAC metabolites. Using this database, we confidently identified 13 parent QACs and 35 metabolites in de-identified human fecal samples. This is the first study to integrate in vitro metabolite biosynthesis with LC–IM–MS/MS for the simultaneous monitoring of parent QACs and their metabolites in humans.
The antibacterial effect of disinfectants is crucial for the control of Listeria monocytogenes in food processing environments. Tolerance of L. monocytogenes to sublethal levels of disinfectants ...based on quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) is conferred by the resistance determinants qacH and bcrABC. The presence and distribution of these genes have been anticipated to have a role in the survival and growth of L. monocytogenes in food processing environments where QAC based disinfectants are in common use. In this study, a panel of 680 L. monocytogenes from nine Norwegian meat- and salmon processing plants were grouped into 36 MLVA profiles. The presence of qacH and bcrABC was determined in 101 isolates from the 26 most common MLVA profiles. Five MLVA profiles contained qacH and two contained bcrABC. Isolates with qacH and bcrABC showed increased tolerance to the QAC Benzalkonium chloride (BC), with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 5–12, 10–13 and <5ppm for strains with qacH (two allele variants observed), bcrABC, and neither gene, respectively. Isolates with qacH or bcrABC were not more tolerant to BC in bactericidal tests in suspension or in biofilms compared with isolates lacking the genes. Water residue samples collected from surfaces in meat processing plants after QAC disinfection had bactericidal effect against L. monocytogenes when the sample BC levels were high (>100ppm). A sample with lower BC concentrations (14ppm of chain length C-12 and 2.7ppm of chain length C-14) inhibited growth of L. monocytogenes not containing bcrABC or qacH, compared to strains with these genes.
The study has shown that L. monocytogenes harbouring the QAC resistance genes qacH and bcrABC are prevalent in the food industry and that residuals of QAC may be present in concentrations after sanitation in the industry that result in a growth advantage for bacteria with such resistance genes.
•Tolerance of QAC disinfectants studied in L. monocytogenes from meat-and salmon processing•Efflux pumps genes qacH found in 22% and bcrABC in 8% of isolates•No protective effect of qacH or bcrABC in bactericidal tests with QAC•Residues of QAC found on surfaces after sanitation in meat processing plants•qacH and bcrABC gave growth advantage at concentrations of QAC present after sanitation.
Among nitrogen-containing cationic electrolytes, diallyl quaternary ammonium salt is a typical monomer with the highest positive charge density, which has attracted the most attention, especially in ...the research on homopolymers and copolymers of dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (DMDAAC), which occupy a very unique and important position. In order to improve the lipophilicity of substituted diallyl ammonium chloride monomers under the premise of high cationic charge density, the simplest, most direct, and most efficient structure design strategy was selected in this paper. Only one of the substituents on DMDAAC quaternary ammonium nitrogen was modified by alkyl; the substituents were propyl and amyl groups, and their corresponding monomers were methyl propyl diallyl ammonium chloride (MPDAAC) and methyl amyl diallyl ammonium chloride (MADAAC), respectively. The effect of substituent structure on the homopolymerization activity of methyl alkyl diallyl ammonium chloride was illustrated by quantum chemical calculation and homopolymerization rate determination experiments via ammonium persulfate (APS) as the initiator system. The results of quantum chemistry simulation showed that, with the finite increase in substituted alkyl chain length, the numerical values of the bond length and the charge distribution of methyl alkyl diallyl ammonium chloride monomer changed little, with the activation energy of the reactions in the following order: DMDAAC < MPDAAC < MADAAC. The polymerization activities measured by the dilatometer method were in the order DMDAAC > MPDAAC > MADAAC. The activation energies Ea of homopolymerization were 96.70 kJ/mol, 97.25 kJ/mol, and 100.23 kJ/mol, and the rate equation of homopolymerization of each monomer was obtained. After analyzing and comparing these results, it could be easily found that the electronic effect of substituent was not obvious, whereas the effect of the steric hindrance was dominant. The above studies have laid a good foundation for an understanding of the polymerization activity of methyl alkyl diallyl ammonium chloride monomers and the possibility of preparation and application of these polymers with high molecular weight.
Quaternary ammonium salt polymers, a kind of polyelectrolyte with a quaternary ammonium group, are widely used in traditional and emerging industries due to their good water-solubility, adjustable ...cationicity and molecular weight, high efficiency and nontoxicity. In this paper, firstly, the properties and several synthesis methods of typical quaternary ammonium salt monomers were introduced. Secondly, the research progress on the synthesis of polymers was summarized from the perspective of obtaining products with high molecular weight, narrow molecular weight distribution and high monomer conversion, and special functional polymers. Thirdly, the relationships between the structures and properties of the polymer were analyzed from the perspectives of molecular weight, charge density, structural stability, and microstructural regulation of the polymer chain unit. Fourthly, typical examples of quaternary ammonium salt polymers in the application fields of water treatment, daily chemicals, petroleum exploitation, papermaking, and textile printing and dyeing were listed. Finally, constructive suggestions were put forward on developing quaternary ammonium salt polymers with high molecular weights, strengthening the research on the relationships between the structures and their properties and pinpointing relevant application fields.
Ammonium salts represent a common problem for the refining industry. These saltslead to fouling of piping and heat exchangers resulting in loss of duty, underdeposit corrosionwhen wetted, and ...corrosive sour water solutionsonce sufficient water is available to dissociate these salts into solution. To properly manage fouling and corrosion associated with these salts, knowledge of the temperatures at which these salts will deposit is critical. In this age of process control, these temperatures can be predicted in real-time provided the salt deposition temperature relationships are known. The salt deposition equations for salts most often encountered in refining are not in the public domain. To close this gap, ammonium salt deposition equations were derived for NH4Cl, NH4HS, NH4Br, and NH4Fusing fundamental thermodynamic equations of state with published thermodynamic properties for the individual chemical species/reactions.
Drought stress, which causes a decline in quality and quantity of crop yields, has become more accentuated these days due to climatic change. Serious measures need to be taken to increase the ...tolerance of crop plants to acute drought conditions likely to occur due to global warming. Drought stress causes many physiological and biochemical changes in plants, rendering the maintenance of osmotic adjustment highly crucial. The degree of plant resistance to drought varies with plant species and cultivars, phenological stages of the plant, and the duration of plant exposure to the stress. Osmoregulation in plants under low water potential relies on synthesis and accumulation of osmoprotectants or osmolytes such as soluble proteins, sugars, and sugar alcohols, quaternary ammonium compounds, and amino acids, like proline. This review highlights the role of osmolytes in water‐stressed plants and of enzymes entailed in their metabolism. It will be useful, especially for researchers working on the development of drought‐resistant crops by using the metabolic‐engineering techniques.
Atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) is a collective term for light absorbing organic compounds in the atmosphere. While the identification of BrC and its formation mechanisms is currently a central effort ...in the community, little is known about the atmospheric removal processes of aerosol BrC. As a result, we report on a series of laboratory studies of photochemical processing of BrC in the aqueous phase, by direct photolysis and OH oxidation. Solutions of ammonium sulfate mixed with glyoxal (GLYAS) or methylglyoxal (MGAS) are used as surrogates for a class of secondary BrC mediated by imine intermediates. Three nitrophenol species, namely 4-nitrophenol, 5-nitroguaiacol and 4-nitrocatechol, were investigated as a class of water-soluble BrC originating from biomass burning. Photochemical processing induced significant changes in the absorptive properties of BrC. The imine-mediated BrC solutions exhibited rapid photo-bleaching with both direct photolysis and OH oxidation, with atmospheric half-lives of minutes to a few hours. The nitrophenol species exhibited photo-enhancement in the visible range during direct photolysis and the onset of OH oxidation, but rapid photo-bleaching was induced by further OH exposure on an atmospheric timescale of an hour or less. To illustrate the atmospheric relevance of this work, we also performed direct photolysis experiments on water-soluble organic carbon extracted from biofuel combustion samples and observed rapid changes in the optical properties of these samples as well. Overall, these experiments indicate that atmospheric models need to incorporate representations of atmospheric processing of BrC species to accurately model their radiative impacts.