Ali Jameel Hameed

Molecular Spectroscopic Study of River Nile Sediment in the Greater Cairo Region

The greater Cairo region is the most populated area in Egypt. The aquatic environment of the Nile River in this area is being affected by industrial activities. The study of the molecular structure of sediment may provide a good trace for such changes. Both Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and density functional theory (DFT) were used to study the effect of industrial waste disposal south of Cairo on the molecular structure of Nile River sediment. Four seasonal samples were collected from six sites covering 75 km along the Nile River. Grain sizes of 200 μm, 125 μm, 65 μm, and 32 μm, respectively, were examined. The results indicate that hydrated aluminum hydroxide controls the distribution of organic matter in the different grain sizes. Furthermore, the hydration of phenol may take place in grain sizes lower than 200 μm, which is indicated by the OH stretching at 3550 cm−1 and verified by the obtained model. The formation of metal carboxylate bonds at 1638 cm−1 (asymmetric) and 1382 cm−1 (symmetric) indicate the possible interaction between heavy metals and other organic structures, mainly humic substances.

Structural and electronic properties of new fullerene derivatives and their possible application as HIV-1 protease inhibitors.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out at the hybrid Becke 3-Lee-Yang-Parr; B3LYP/3-21G** level of theory to study two series of hydroxy-chalca-acetic acid-(4-pyrrolidin-1-yl-phenyl) ester [C(60)-C(2)H(4)N-(4-XCOCH(2)OH)C(6)H(4)] and hydroxy-chalcoacetic acid-[2-(2-hydroxy-acetylchalcanyl)-4-pyrrolidin-1-yl-phenyl] ester[C(60)-C(2)H(4)N-(3,4-XCOCH(2)OH)C(6)H(4)]. The X atom is O, S or Se for the two series. The vibrational spectra, physical, chemical, thermodynamics and Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) properties of the studied molecules are calculated and discussed. We have evaluated these molecules as HIV-1 protease inhibitors based on the hydrogenation interaction between the hydroxymethylcarbonyl (HMC) groups and the two aspartic acid of the HIV-1 protease active site. Results show that some of the investigated fullerene-based derivatives can be considered promising as HIV-1 protease inhibitors.

Spectroscopic analysis of C80 doping with group III and group V elements using semiempirical PM3 molecular modelling technique

Semiempirical calculations at the level of PM3 of theory were carried out to study the struc- tural and electronic properties of C 80 and some of its doped derivatives with the elements of group III and V at the level of PM3 of theory. We have selected these elements to be substituted in the fullerene- C80 cage in order to show the effect of such structural change on the electronic properties of the mol- ecules studied. The theoretical IR spectra, some of physical and chemical properties of the molecules studied are obtained and discussed.