Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) was achieved by utilizing the reducing and capping potential of leaf, stem and callus aqueous extracts of Mussaenda frondosa.The bioreduced ZnO-NPs were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis spectroscopy), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. UV-visible spectra of ZnO-NPs showed a strong absorption peak at 370, 376 and 373 nm corresponding to the band gap energy of 3.33, 3.27 and 3.30 eV for ZnO-NPs obtained from leaf (L-ZnO-NP), stem (S-ZnO-NP) and callus (C-ZnO-NP) aqueous extracts, respectively. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of hexagonal wurtzite structures having an average grain size between 5 and 20 nm in diameter. FTIR spectra revealed the presence of stretching vibrations of-O-H, C-H, C-N, C = O groups involved in reduction and stabilization of nanoparticles. SEM images recognize the presence of spongy, spherical, porous agglomerated nanoparticles. DLS analysis and zeta potential values validated the stability of ZnO-NPs. The present investigation puts light on the photocatalytic activity and biological (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancerous) applications of ZnO-NPs. The current study is an attempt to describe an effective, simple and eco-friendly method of ZnO-NP synthesis and to evaluate its potential for various industrial and medical applications.

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Chalcones are the main component of some natural compounds. The title compound, 3-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one, was synthesized and characterized. The compound (C21H18O3) crystallizes in the triclinic system with the space group of P-1 (no. 2), a = 7.7705(4) Å, b = 10.2634(6) Å, c = 11.2487(6) Å, α = 79.655(5)°, β = 81.500(5)°, γ = 68.039(5)°, V = 815.28(9) Å3, Z = 2, T = 293(2) K, μ(MoKα) = 0.086 mm-1, Dcalc = 1.297 g/cm3, 9126 reflections measured (4.318° ≤ 2Θ ≤ 52.728°), 3302 unique (Rint = 0.0466, Rsigma = 0.0528) which were used in all calculations. The final R1 was 0.0568 (I > 2σ(I)) and wR2 was 0.1667 (all data). The crystal structure is stabilized by both short C-H···O inter- and intra-molecular interactions. In addition, the crystal structure is reinforced by π-π interactions. Hirshfeld surface analysis confirmed the presence of C-H···O intermolecular interactions. The two-dimensional fingerprint plots are used to visualize the individual interactions present in the molecule. DFT calculations were performed to know the energy levels of the frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO-LUMO). The energy gap between the frontier molecular orbitals shows the kinetic stability of the molecule. The chemical reactive sites are observed by generating MEP surface. Non-covalent interactions (NCIs) are analyzed using reduced density gradient (RDG) analysis.