The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first identified in China, December 2019. Since then, it has spread the length and breadth of the world at an unprecedented, alarming rate. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, which causes COVID-19, has much in common with its closest homologs, SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome-CoV. The virus–host interaction of SARS-CoV-2 uses the same receptor, ACE2, which is similar to that of SARS-CoV, which spreads through the respiratory tract. Patients with COVID-19 report symptoms including mild-to-severe fever, cough and fatigue; very few patients report gastrointestinal infections. There are no specific antiviral strategies. A few strong medications are under investigation, so we have to focus on proposals which ought to be taken to forestall this infection in a living host.

Recently discovered SARS-CoV-2 caused a pandemic that triggered researchers worldwide to focus their research on all aspects of this new peril to humanity. However, in the absence of specific therapeutic intervention, some preventive strategies and supportive treatment minimize the viral transmission as studied by some factors such as basic reproduction number, case fatality rate, and incubation period in the epidemiology of viral diseases. This review briefly discusses coronaviruses' life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 in a human host cell and preventive strategies at some selected source of infection. The antiviral activities of synthetic and natural polymers such as chitosan, hydrophobically modified chitosan, galactosylated chitosan, amine-based dendrimers, cyclodextrin, carrageenans, polyethyleneimine, nanoparticles are highlighted in this article. Mechanism of virus inhibition, detection and diagnosis are also presented. It also suggests that polymeric materials and nanoparticles can be effective as potential inhibitors and immunization against coronaviruses which would further develop new technologies in the field of polymer and nanoscience.

Simple, fast, and sensitive spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of metformin in pharmaceutical formulations. The spectrophotometric procedure was based on the oxidation of metformin with potassium permanganate in alkaline medium. The developed method was also validated according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines parameters such as linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection and quantitation. Studies were conducted to investigate different parameters involved in color developments and optimized. The pure drug of metformin was extracted from a pharmaceutical dosage form. The extraction procedure was developed, and a possible reaction mechanism proposed in the manuscript. The IR spectrum of the extracted metformin was taken and compared with the simulated IR spectrum obtained from the density functional theory calculation. The vibrational assignment of the modes was done based on potential energy distribution.

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Werner‐type transition‐metal complexes (WTMC) such as [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2, Cu[(NH3)4]SO4, Mn(acac)3, Ni[(NH3)6]Cl2, Ni[(en)3]S2O3, and Hg[Co(SCN)4] efficiently promote the chemoselective acetylation of phenols and anilines under solvent‐free condition. The results of this study clearly shows that the optimal condition for the acetylation of anilines/phenols (1 mmol) (2a–r) with acetic anhydride (1.2 mmol) in the presence of WTMC (1 mmol) and two drops of H3PO4 on heating for 10 min under solvent‐free condition gives the corresponding acetanilides/phenyl acetate (3a–r) in good to excellent yield. Furthermore, the method is simple, efficient, chemoselective, and eco‐friendly under solvent‐free condition for the acetylation of anilines and phenols promoted by WTMC by using acetic anhydrate as the acetylating agent. The simple preparation of the catalyst, easy procedure of the acetylation reaction, and simple work‐up indicate the importance of WTMC for such reactions.