ABSTRACT Plastic pollution has recently gained global concern due to the negative effect it presents on both the environment and human health. In the environment, plastics degrade yielding millions of micro- and nano-scale plastic particles. The microplastics have the ability to adsorb organic pollutants, heavy metals, and micro-organisms in either the aquatic or terrestrial environments. The microplastics size range and ubiquity in the environment provides an easy pathway into the food chain...
ABSTRACT Despite more than a century of efforts to eradicate and control malaria, it still remains a major risk to public health and economies of countries in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Control of malaria has been based on eradication of the vector, mosquito, by use of pesticides. In order to reduce malaria incidence, some African countries are re-introducing the banned dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), however, organophosphates are known to have far more immediat...
ABSTRACT Mineral data shows several deposits of copper and titanium minerals in Kenya yet the country continues to import copper and titanium products. In some regions of Tharaka Nithi County, occurs ores that are known to contain both copper and titanium minerals. These minerals have never been earmarked for extraction mainly because the common methods known for extraction are expensive. In addition, the hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical process used in copper extraction releases green...
ABSTRACT Cancer has become a key public health affliction worldwide. Recent studies have shown that genetic factors cause only 5–10% of all human cancers, while the rest are caused by lifestyle. Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that chronic inflammatory diseases predispose individuals to various types of cancer. An estimated 20 % of all cancer related deaths globally arise from primary infections and inflammation. Current treatments for cancer include radiotherapy, chemothera...
ABSTRACT This thesis is in two parts. Part I involves a study of the straight chain alkanes containing many carbon atom. These are important analogues of polyethylene, a versatile industrial raw material. Although they can be derived from natural fats or waxes or Prom ethylene oligomers, they are never obtained pure. The physical properties of linear polyethylenes can be better understood if pure paraffing of comperable chain length could be synthesised and analysed. Here long chain aliphatic...
ABSTRACT Convulsion is a chronic neurological disorder that develops in up to 5% of the world’s population with prevalence of nearly 88% occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa, prompting serious medical, social, health related stigma and discrimination. Although a number of antiepileptic drugs (AED) are available for patients, most of the drugs have been associated with adverse side effects, dose-related neurotoxicity and teratogenic effects besides the AED therapy failures reported in approximate...
ABSTRACT The kinetics and mechanisms of the reactions of nitro-activated diphenyl ethers with substituted anilines in benzene have been investigated. The reactions except that of 2', 6'- dinitro phenyi 2, 4, 6- trinitrophenyl ether are base catalysed. For some of the nucleophiles, the rates decreased with increasing temperature in the range 5 - 35 °C resulting in negative enthalpies of activation (AH" -4.1 to -20.0 kJmol. This can be rationalised in terms of a step-wise mechanism involving (...
ABSTRACT A series of the Baylis-Hillman adducts 133 were obtained by reacting unprotected substituted and unsubstituted salicylaldehydes with tert-butyl acrylate for three to fourteen days, using 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) as nucleophilic catalysts in 25-69% yields. Oxidation of these adducts led to unexpected cyclization products: tert-butyl 6-bromochromene-3-carboxylate 149. Another series of the Baylis-Hillman adducts were obtained by reacting protected Obenzylated salicylaldeh...
ABSTRACT The Genus Blastocystis was first described from the faecal contents of animals by Alexieff in 1911 and named Blastocystis enterocola, cyst of a flagellate and upon its isolation from the faeces of humans the following year by Brumpt; it was re-named Blastocystis hominis but classified as yeast and non- pathogenic in humans (Tan et al., 2002). As a result of the ensuing confusion of unsettled taxonomy, Blastocystis spp. was not included in any of the systematic classifications of the ...
TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE ii DECLARATION iii CERTIFICATION iv DEDICATION v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi TABLE OF CONTENTS viii LIST OF TABLES xviii LIST OF FIGURES xxiii SCHEME OF REACTIONS xxix EQUATIONS xxxi LIST OF PLATES xxxi DEFINITION OF OPERATIONAL TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS xxxii ABSTRACT xxxvii CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background of Study 1 1.2 Statement of Problem 2 1.3 Aim and Objectives of Study 3 1.4 Significance of Study 4 CHAPTER TWO 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 5 2.1 Schiff Bases 5 ...
ABSTRACT Concerns about the effect of organic pollutants on humans and the environment have existed for a long time. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present a danger due to their potential carcinogenic and mutagenic capabilities. PAHs are rapidly sorbed to particles and incorporated into aquatic sediments. Sediments therefore represent the most important reservoir of PAHs in the marine environment. About 80% of the industries in Nigeria are located in Lagos and they all discharge thei...
ABSTRACT T h e Oil Palm T r u n k ( O P T ) fib e r w a s p r e t r e a t e d , using T e t r a o x o s ulp h a t e ( vi) a cid H 2 SO 4 , H y d r o c hlo ric a cid H Cl, a n d Trioxonitrate (v) acid HNO 3 , at temperature of 80 o C, and residence time varying from 15 to 45 minutes, and acid concentration between 1 - 2 . 5 % . I t w a s f o u n d t h a t t h e o p tim u m a cid c o n c e n t r a tio n a n d residence time for highest sugar yield, was 1% w/w and 30minutes for the three ac...
ABSTRACT 1-bromo-3-methylbut-1-yn-3-ol, 1-bromo-3-methypent-1-yn-3-ol, 4-hydroxy-4-methyhex-2-yn-nitrile, 1-chloro-3-mrthylpent-1-yn-3-ol, 1-chloro-3-methybut-1-yn-3-ol, 4-methylhex-2-yn-4-ol, 4-methylhexa-2, 3-dienenitrile and 4-methoxy-4-methylhex-2.yn were separately prepared and then each of them was used as the disubstituted acetylene for complexation with copper(I), cyanide, copper(I) bromide and copper(I) chloride respectively in dimethyl form amide (d.m.f) and then in dimethyl sulphid...
ABSTRACT Titanium dioxide or titania (TiO2) being one of the most promising semiconductors for many photoelectrochemical applications, its utilization remains typically confined to ultraviolet (UV) light absorption because of its wide band gap (3.2 eV for anatase and 3.0 eV for rutile), where by UV only accounts for 4-6% of the solar radiation. There is a need to shift the absorption threshold of the UV-region response of TiO2 into the visible region (accounts for ~45% of the total energy of...