Porous materials (such as organic polyamine cage compounds) and methods of stabilising porous materials which are otherwise prone to pore-collapse are described. Such stabilisation is accomplished through the use of molecular ties to create bridges between reactive groups of a (potentially) porous material to thereby strengthen and stabilise the porous structure. The chemistry involved in, and the results of, the stabilisation of porous materials to provide a new sorption composition comprising the very materials which are generally prone to pore-collapse are also described.

Compounds are described which include polyvalent ligands linked to a cyclodextrin scaffold which exhibit strong binding affinities for lanthanides and favorable characteristics with respect to altering the relaxation time of coordinated water molecules. The compounds are useful as contrast agents in applications such as magnetic resonance imaging. The polyvalent ligands are also useful in applications requiring chelation of metal ions in other applications such as water treatment, sequestration of metal ions and treatment of diseases or conditions caused by exposure to toxic or radioactive metal ions.

A permanently porous vanadium(II)-containing metal-organic framework (MOF) with vanadium(II) centers and methods for synthesis of such MOF frameworks are provided. Methods for using such compounds to selectively react with N.sup.2 over CH.sub.4 are provided. In the synthetic methods, a vanadium source, such as VY.sub.2(tmeda).sub.2, where Y is a halogen and tmeda is N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethane-1,2-diamine and a H.sub.2(ligand) are reacted in the presence of acid in a solvent at between 110° C. and 130° C. to form an intermediate product. The intermediate product is collected and washed with a washing agent, such as DMF and acetonitrile, and the vanadium(II) based MOF is activated by heating the washed intermediate product to at least 160° C. under dynamic vacuum.

An 8-hydroxyquinoline modified halloysite nanoclay (8-HQHNC) is provided. The 8-HQHNC is used in a method of removing heavy metals and/or salt from a solution which includes steps of contacting the solution with 8-HQHNC under conditions suitable for the adsorption of the heavy metals and/or salt to the 8-HQHNC and recovering the 8-HQHNC from the solution.

An 8-hydroxyquinoline modified halloysite nanoclay (8-HQHNC) is provided. The 8-HQHNC is used in a method of removing heavy metals and/or salt from a solution which includes steps of contacting the solution with 8-HQHNC under conditions suitable for the adsorption of the heavy metals and/or salt to the 8-HQHNC and recovering the 8-HQHNC from the solution.

Provided are an extract, which is a fractionated component 1 of a water extract of a plant powder, wherein the fractionated component 1 is a fractionated component having a fractionation molecular weight of 12,000 or greater, wherein an ethanol-undissolved component of the fractionated component 1 exhibits a peak attributable to carboxylic acid in a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurement and exhibits a peak attributable to cellulose in a gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) measurement, and wherein an ethanol-dissolved component of the fractionated component 1 exhibits a peak attributable to carboxylic acid in the FT-IR measurement and exhibits a peak attributable to a plant protein in the GC-MS measurement, and a water-purifying agent containing the extract.

Provided are an extract, which is a fractionated component 1 of a water extract of a plant powder, wherein the fractionated component 1 is a fractionated component having a fractionation molecular weight of 12,000 or greater, wherein an ethanol-undissolved component of the fractionated component 1 exhibits a peak attributable to carboxylic acid in a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurement and exhibits a peak attributable to cellulose in a gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) measurement, and wherein an ethanol-dissolved component of the fractionated component 1 exhibits a peak attributable to carboxylic acid in the FT-IR measurement and exhibits a peak attributable to a plant protein in the GC-MS measurement, and a water-purifying agent containing the extract.

A method for separating diastereomers of pristane. A pristane sample is prepared, and then injected into a chromatographic instrument equipped with a chiral chromatographic column, where a stationary phase of the chiral chromatographic column has a preset pore size. The pristane diastereomers in the pristane sample are separated by the chiral chromatographic column, and the components produced by the separation of the pristane diastereomers sequentially enter a mass spectrometer for detection and analysis.

A method for separating diastereomers of pristane. A pristane sample is prepared, and then injected into a chromatographic instrument equipped with a chiral chromatographic column, where a stationary phase of the chiral chromatographic column has a preset pore size. The pristane diastereomers in the pristane sample are separated by the chiral chromatographic column, and the components produced by the separation of the pristane diastereomers sequentially enter a mass spectrometer for detection and analysis.

A pyrazole metal complex for absorption of carbon dioxide, a method for preparing the pyrazole metal complex, and a method for absorbing carbon dioxide are provided; wherein the product produced by reacting pyrazole metal complex and carbon dioxide may be transformed into several economically valuable compounds.