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The rediscovery of the medical uses of silver provides another noticeable example, this time at the interface of chemistry and medicine, of the real (and nonlinear) progress of scientific research. Several new silver‐based antimicrobial products have thus been commercialized in the last two decades. Next‐generation antibacterials and antivirals of broad scope, low toxicity and affordable cost, we argue in this study, will be based on microencapsulated Ag nanoparticles.

An efficient, green, and reusable system comprising gold nanoparticles entrapped in an organically modified sol–gel silica matrix was found to catalyze the reduction of monobromo‐ and tribromoacetic acid by NaBH4. Interestingly, the reduction of tribromoacetic acid yielded succinic acid along with acetic acid, whereas monobromoacetic acid was reduced only to acetic acid. The relative yields of succinic acid and acetic acid depended on the rate of addition of BH4–. Slow addition resulted in the formation of succinic acid as the major product. A variable product distribution was achieved as a result of the different pathways for dehalogenation.

NiL are good electro-catalysts for water oxidation in phosphate or carbonate buffers. The results point out that the active oxidizing agents are L(X)NiOH, where X = POH or COH formed from LNiXvia a mechanism involving an acid catalyzed O-P or O-C bond heterolysis. Carbonate behaves differently from phosphate as it is a non-innocent ligand and it can be oxidized.