Zoltán May

Hungarian Academy of Sciences | HAS · Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry

In this study, calcium phosphate materials were obtained via a simple, eco-friendly wet synthesis method using hen eggshells as a calcium source. It was shown that Zn ions were successfully incorporated into hydroxyapatite (HA). The obtained ceramic composition depends on the zinc content. When doped with 10 mol % of Zn, in addition to HA and Zn-do...

S-methylmethionine (SMM) is a universal metabolite of higher plants derived from L-methionine that has an approved priming effect under different types of abiotic and biotic stresses. Szarvasi-1 energy grass (Elymus elongatus subsp. ponticus cv. Szarvasi-1) is a biomass plant increasingly applied in phytoremediation to stabilize or extract heavy me...

A nagyváradi csüngő különleges tárgy, annak ellenére, hogy típusára, kialakítására nézve nem rendkívüli darab a polikróm ötvösmunkák körében. Ráadásul régészeti kontextusa is ismeretlen, mivel szórványként került elő. Ezt a gránátberakásos aranyékszert sajátos története emeli ki a többi közül, ami több szálon és több idősíkban fut. Előkerülése a ré...

Metronidazole (MTZ) is a widely used drug, but due to its many side effects, there is a growing trend today to use a minimum dose while maintaining high efficacy. One way to meet this demand is to reduce the size of the drug particles. A relatively new method of size reduction is attaching the drug molecules to a mesoporous carrier. In this paper,...

Octyl laurate phase change material (PCM) was microencapsulated by calcium alginate for eco-friendly low temperature energy storage. The PCM microcapsules were prepared by repeated interfacial coacervation followed by crosslinking method. In order to enhance the antibacterial properties of the as prepared capsules, the calcium alginate shell was fu...

This research aimed to study of the role of galvanic/contact corrosion between copper and galvanized steel screws. Based on our previous investigations by thermal imaging camera under power, the role of corrosion processes around the fitting were in the focus that could be responsible for the heat evolution. In this multi-metallic system where the...

Nanotechnology has been evolving in the past decades as an alternative to conventional fertilizers. Ferrihydrite nanoparticles that model the available Fe pool of soils are proposed to be used to recover Fe deficiency of plants. Nevertheless, ferrihydrite aqueous suspensions are known to undergo slow transformation to a mixture of goethite and hema...

Anthocyanidins, the aglycons of anthocyanins, are known, beyond their function in plants, also as compounds with a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities, including cytostatic effect against various cancer cells. The nature and position of the substituents in the flavylium cation is essential for such biological properties, as well...

Amberlyst-15 supported cyclic alkyl amino carbene and bicyclic alkyl amino carbene ruthenium olefin metathesis catalysts for sustainable catalytic applications have been synthesized by the well-known wet impregnation method utilizing ionic complex/support interaction. Surface coverages are as high as 4 and 7 wt% were achieved in the case of the sig...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is one of the most common chronic liver diseases with unclarified pathomechanism and without evidence-proven therapy. Dietary polyphenols, targeting oxidative stress, are at the center of investigations. Our aim was to examine the effects of a polyphenol rich extract on metal element homeostasis and transmethylatio...

Spray freeze-drying (SFD) is an effective method for reducing the size of thermosensitive organic substances that are sparingly soluble in water. Despite the advantages of the method, its use has not yet become widespread. We aimed at studying SFD technique for metronidazole as a heat-sensitive active pharmaceutical ingredient for reducing its part...

Rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that affects about 10% of the population. Metronidazole-containing ointments are typically recommended for the daily treatment of symptoms. For increasing bioavailability and effectiveness, it is needed to reduce the particle size. Therefore, micronized metronidazole was prepared by spray freeze-dryin...

Soil alkalinization and salinization have increased worldwide due to extreme and/or prolonged drought periods as well as insufficient irrigation. Since crops generally react to soil salinity and high pH with decreased yield, the cultivation of tolerant biomass plants represents a reasonable alternative. Thus, we aimed to characterize the tolerance...

Calcium phosphate materials such as hydroxyapatite (HA) or tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) are highly attractive due to their multitude of applications in bone replacement as well as their environmental and ecological credentials. In this research, quail, hen, duck, and pigeon eggshells were used as a calcium source to obtain calcium phosphate materia...

The drug-loaded nanocarriers have overcome various challenges compared with the pure chemotherapeutic drug, such as limited bioavailability, multiple drug resistance, poor patient compliance, and adverse drug reactions, offering advantages such as protection from degradation in the blood stream, better drug solubility, and improved drug stability....

In the southern part of the Great Hungarian Plain, at Orosháza, excavations were carried out on both sides of a former river between 2004 and 2006. In this study we focus on the ceramic material of the Árpádian Age settlement, in particular ceramic bottles, which are common here but at other Árpádian Age settlements appear rarely. The stylistic fea...

Colourful and artistic ceramic panel paintings that realistically imitate oil paintings were one of the innovations of the Hungarian Zsolnay ceramic factory. Ten large ceramic panel paintings and two overdoor compositions (each containing three panels) decorated the Saint Stephen Hall in the palace of the Buda Castle (Budapest) established around t...

An Early Neolithic, Körös culture settlement was excavated in 1977–78 at Szolnok-Szanda in the heartland of the Great Hungarian Plain in Hungary. The eastern part of House 4 yielded three stylised bucranium figurines which were originally attached to a four-legged table-like stand. A similar figurine came to light in 1977 at Szajol-Felsőföld, lying...

This study details the non-destructive chemical analysis of composite silver objects (ewers, situlas, amphora and casket) from one of the most significant late Roman finds, the Seuso Treasure. The Seuso Treasure consists of fourteen large silver vessels that were made in the fourth–early fifth centuries AD and used for dining during festive banquet...

Metronidazole has been widely used topically and systemically for more than 50 years but data on its antioxidant properties are still incomplete, unclear and contradictory. Its antioxidant properties are primarily hypothesized based on in vivo results, therefore, studies have been performed to determine whether metronidazole has antioxidant activit...

The influence of the semiconductor microstructure on the photocatalytic behavior of Pt-PtO x /TiO2 catalysts was studied by comparing the methanol-reforming performance of systems based on commercial P25 or TiO2 from sol-gel synthesis calcined at different temperatures. The Pt co-catalyst was deposited by incipient wetness and formed either by calc...

The palm oil industry produces large amounts of biomass by-products, such as palm empty fruit bunch (EFB), mesocarp fiber (MF), and kernel shell (KS). The thermal behavior and decomposition of the oil palm biomass wastes have been studied by thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry (TG/MS) and pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Th...

Handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is a widely used analytical method for the determination of the chemical composition of archaeological metal objects. Beside its several advantages (fast, cheap, portable, non-destructive, non-invasive, no sampling or special sample preparation is needed, etc.), the method has some limitations as well (surfa...

Mesoporous MgO-SiO2 mixed oxide catalysts were prepared for the conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene. Mesoporosity was obtained by using SBA-15 material as support for magnesia or by applying one-pot synthesis method wherein magnesia precursor, such as, magnesium methoxide or ethoxide, was admixed to the synthesis gel of the SBA-15 material. The...

Despite significant nephrotoxicity, cisplatin is still used in the therapy of various tumors. We were interested in how metal ion composition is altered by cisplatin and whether platinum accumulates in the non-tumorous lung. We also aimed to study metal ion changes after treatment with a veterinary medicament CV247 with antioxidant property (contai...

Latent heat storage by phase change materials (PCM) is a promising way of thermal energy storage for equilibrating the daily fluctuation of temperature in office‐ and home buildings. Bio‐originated compounds have got great importance to evade further plastic contamination all over the world. Durability of biodegradable natural materials by means of...

[email protected] [email protected] oxide nanoparticles of approx. 50 nm diameter were developed in view of an application as a novel carrier with adjuvant activities for cancer vaccines. To this end, the aim was to cover the surface of the nanocarrier by potent single stranded DNA (ssDNA) type immune stimulators used in cancer vaccination. Prior t...

How far-reaching is the influence of the urban area over the mineral composition of the Russula cyanoxantha mushroom? To answer this question, we monitored the metal uptake behavior of this fungus relying on the soil properties. We sampled mushroom and soil from six forests according to an urbanization gradient, and two city parks in Cluj-Napoca (R...

The complementary solid state/solution studies of the systematic series of bioactive ligands 3-hydroxy-1-methyl-4-pyridinecarboxylate (L1), 3-hydroxy-1,2,6-trimethyl-4-pyridinecarboxylate (L2), 4-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-pyridinecarboxylate (L3), 4-hydroxy-1,6-dimethyl-3-pyridinecarboxylate (L4), 4-hydroxy-1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-6-methyl-3-pyridinecarboxylat...

A Dunakeszi-Székesdűlőn feltárt szarmata női sír aranyleleteinek kémiai összetételét határoztuk meg roncsolásmentesen, kézi röntgenfluoreszcens spektrométerrel (hXRF) és elektron-mikroszondás vizsgálattal (EPMA). Az ékszerek többsége nagy tisztaságú (>98 tömeg%) aranyból készült, kivéve a nagyobb (17 tömeg%) ezüsttartalmú aranyötvözetből készült ke...

Airborne particulate matter (PM) has been widely associated with health disorders primarily due to its fine particles but also due to its toxic components. This chapter summarizes the results of study on the host phases of potentially toxic elements in urban dust and total suspended particulate matter from Budapest, Hungary, based on published data...

In this work, the effect of inorganic content during the torrefaction of black locust wood, wheat straw, and rape straw was studied. The torrefaction experiments were carried out at five temperatures: 200, 225, 250, 275 and 300 °C using 1 h isothermal period. In order to study the influence of inorganic content, the raw samples were washed with hot...

A widely used oxidizing agent in organic chemistry with an assumed structure of ‘[Ag(py)2]MnO4’ and its perchlorate and perrhenate analogues are studied. Their synthesis in pure form is challenging. In order to clarify the chemical nature of the known compounds and find routes to new derivatives, a systematic study is presented for the synthesis of...

The application of an easily prepared and highly active polydopamine-supported Pd nanoparticles catalyst in Suzuki cross-couplings and tandem Suzuki cross-coupling/catalytic transfer hydrogenation sequences under green reaction conditions is described. In Suzuki cross-couplings between aryl bromides and arylboronic acids Pd concentrations down to p...

The Agaricus campestris mushroom widespread in the metropolitan areas could be an alternative food source to the cultivated and widely commercialized Agaricus bisporus. Our aim was to elaborate the elemental profile of the A. campestris in the urban and peri-urban environment, and to determine the levels of some highly toxic elements. The A. campes...

A glazed terracotta statue depicting the Virgin and the Child, dated to the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, is a prominent object of the Collection of Sculpture before 1800 of the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. The provenance of the statue is unknown, it may stem from the place of its 19th-century purchase, Florence or its environs. This paper...

Multi-element-modified bioactive hydroxyapatite (mHAp) coatings were developed onto commercial titanium alloy material (Ti6Al4V) in clusters. The coatings were prepared by applying pulse current deposition technique. The pure HAp layer was doped and co-deposited with Ag⁺, Zn²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Sr²⁺ ions. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements and elec...

Chemical composition of the gold artefacts of an early Sarmatian female grave, Dunakeszi – Székes-dűlő (Hungary) was determined non-destructively with handheld X-ray fluorescence (hXRF) and electron microprobe analyses (EPMA). Most of the objects were made from high purity (>98 wt%) gold, except the round beadlets and two granules on the lunula, wh...

Synthesis of ammonium hydroxodisulfitoferriate(III), (diammonium catena-{bis(μ²-sulfito-κO,κO)-μ²-hydroxo-κ²O}ferrate(III) monohydrate) (NH4)2[Fe(OH)(SO3)2]·H2O (compound 1) and its thermal behavior is reported. The compound is stable in air. Its thermal decomposition proceeds without the expected quasi-intramolecular oxidation of sulfite ion with...

The goal of this study was to measure the chemical composition of late Roman silver artefacts preserved in the Hungarian National Museum by means of systematic handheld X-ray fluorescence analysis. The mapping of the elemental composition of silver objects is suitable for revealing their chemical inhomogeneity. The measurements were systematically...

This study aims to simulate the long-term deterioration of architectural glazes exposed to open air in a highly polluted urban environment. A laboratory experiment—a 14-day long accelerated weathering test—on glazed roof tiles has been performed to reveal the damaging influence of contacting acid solutions originating from dissolved gaseous polluta...

Micronutrients such as Fe, Mn and Zn are essential for the proper physiological function and healthy development of plants. Their deficiency caused, e.g., by limited availability due to unfavorable soil quality conditions, such as high soil pH, can lead to diminished quantity and quality of plant biomass, and corresponding drop in agricultural crop...

In this work the torrefaction of two herbaceous plants (rape straw and wheat straw) and black locust wood was studied. Three different torrefaction temperatures were applied: 225, 250 and 300°C using one hour isothermal period. The biomass materials were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectro...

The development of tissue specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (CAs) is very desirable to achieve high contrast ratio combined with excellent anatomical details. To this end, we introduce a highly effective manganese(II) containing silica material, with the aim to shorten the longitudinal (T1) relaxation time. The microporous s...

Lentic (pools) and lotic habitats (streams) of Sphagnum bogs were studied, with the focus on the differences amongst the diatom assemblages. Regardless of the geographical location, the significant differences between the peat-bog pools and streams on the level of the measured abiotic variables (especially pH and concentrations of certain chemical...

Lentic (pools) and lotic habitats (streams) of Sphagnum bogs were studied, with the focus on the differences amongst the diatom assemblages. Regardless of the geographical location, the significant differences between the peat-bog pools and streams on the level of the measured abiotic variables (especially pH and concentrations of certain chemical...

Metals accumulate mainly in the kidney during cancer therapy with metal complexes. Since liver is the most important organ for chemical metabolism, its function can determine the effectiveness of therapy because of joint side effect of different chemicals in the liver. The aim of the study was to investigate the concentration of the essential eleme...

The oceanic anoxic event in the Early Toarcian, often referred to as ‘Torcian Oceanic Anoxic Event’, led to widespread deposition of organic-rich black shales and geochemical anomalies in elemental distribution and multiple isotope systems in the Early Jurassic ocean. Best characterized by its hallmark carbon isotope anomaly, the event is widely re...

Risk assessment of metals associated to airborne particulate matter (PM) has usually been based on the analysis of their total concentrations, which is a poor indicator of metal mobility. Chemical fractionation processes may provide an additional level of information, however, chemical complexity and small sample sizes do not allow to combine sever...

The thermal decomposition of the byproducts of the biodiesel process was studied by thermoanalytical methods. Deoiled algae cake and jatropha seed deoiled cake were pyrolyzed and the catalytic effects of silica supported iron catalysts (Fe/FSM-16 and Fe/SBA-15) and magnetite (Fe3O4) were tested. The evolution profiles of the decomposition products...

In this work, the torrefaction of three biomass materials, black locust wood, wheat, and rape straw, was studied at various temperatures: 200, 225, 250, 275, and 300 °C. The thermal stability and formation of the decomposition products of the untreated and treated samples were measured by the thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry method. The degree of...

Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases in Europe1,2. Metal element status could be a good prognostic index in prostate adenocarcinoma3, therefore the aim of our investigation was to demonstrate the effect of vitamin-D3 consumption4 on metal-homeostasis. We examined the metal element status in erythrocytes of healthy and prosta...

Perspectives of magnetic and nanosized metal-containing amorphous carbon composite chemosorbents and catalysts are reviewed.

The hoard from Bodrogolaszi is a very significant find, dating back to the 15th-16th centuries. Unfortunately only 73 coins have survived from the original 135. In our study we would like to present the site, the circumstances of finding the hoard, and also a short numismatic introduction to these coins. We used stereomicroscopy to investigate the...

There are many settlements in our country where the well-water is partially or the only potable water supply. The main factors which contribute to the pollution of groundwater are the agricultural activities, raising livestock and refuse disposal. The studied communal area consists of three villages: Sâncraiu, Ilieni and Dobolii de Jos. The well-wa...

Portable handheld X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF) is very effective and widely used technique for chemical analysis in field of archaeometry. The most advantageous feature of this technique is the possibility of analysing objects, artefacts on the spot without any sample-taking. In this study raw materials of 31 buckles from 7th century AD m...

The Hutterites and Habans produced coloured-glazed, mostly blue-and yellow-coloured vessels alongside their white-glazed faience ware. However, the production technology of the coloured-glazed vessels, specifically the nature of the glaze, is a matter of debate among scholars. Both coloured tin glaze and coloured engobe covered with a transparent l...

From the mid-15th century "berettino", or "turchino", lighter and darker, deep blue, cobalt-bearing glazes were used on Italian maiolica objects. At first such vessels were made mainly in Faenza, later they spread to Northern Italy and from the 17th century they became popular throughout Europe. According to written sources and archaeological finds...

Metal elements and their excess intake have significant influence on general health. There is only little information how Far Eastern herbs resemble European's regarding their purity and essential metal element content. The aim of the authors was to determine metal elements in different Chinese and European herbs and extracts. The studied European...

The key drawback of using demineralized bone matrix (DBM) is its low initial mechanical stability due to the severe depletion of mineral content. In the present study, we investigated the long-term regeneration of DBM in a critical size bone defect model and investigated the remineralization after 6 months. Bone defects were created in the cranium...

The protein mediated approach is a common method for the synthesis of photoluminescent gold quantum clusters (GQCs), where proteins, acting as reducing and stabilizing agents, react with gold salts through cysteine residues. For the better understanding of the phenomenon, the aqueous phase reaction of HAuCl4 and l-cysteine has been investigated at...

Berries are widely used in prevention and in adjuvant therapy of different diseases nowadays because of their valuable bioactive agents and antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory properties, nevertheless frequently without medical control. The aim of our study was to determine the element content and antioxidant activities in some Latvian berrie...