In this work, a complementary ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) study on melatonin (MEL) hydrolysis in the presence of alkaline aqueous solutions and the photodegradation of MEL is reported. The UV-VIS spectrum of MEL is characterized by an absorption band with a peak at 278 nm. This peak shifts to 272 nm simultaneously with an increase in the band absorbance at 329 nm in the presence of an NaOH solution. The isosbestic point localized at 308 nm indicates the generation of some chemical compounds in addition to MEL and NaOH. The MEL PL spectrum is characterized by a band at 365 nm. There is a gradual decrease in the MEL PL intensity as the alkaline solution concentration added at the drug solution is increased. In the case of the MEL samples interacting with an alkaline solution, a new photoluminescence excitation (PLE) band at 335 nm appears when the exposure time to UV light reaches 310 min. A down-shift in the MEL PLE band, from 321 to 311 nm, as a consequence of the presence of excipients, is also shown. These changes are explained in reference to the MEL hydrolytic products.

Photodegradation of the aqueous solutions of acetylsalicylic acid, in the absence (ASA) and the presence of excipients (ASE), is demonstrated by the photoluminescence (PL). A shift of the PL bands from 342 and 338 nm to 358 and 361–397 nm for ASA and ASE in solid state and as aqueous solutions was reported. By exposure of the solution of ASA 0.3 M to UV light, a decrease in the PL band intensity was highlighted. This behavior was revealed for ASA in the presence of phosphate buffer (PB) having the pH equal to 6.4, 7, and 8 or by the interaction with NaOH 0.3 M. A different behavior was reported in the case of ASE. In the presence of PB, an increase in the intensity of the PL band of ASE simultaneously with a change of the ratio between the intensities of the bands at 361–364 and 394–397 nm was highlighted. The differences between PL spectra of ASA and ASE have their origin in the presence of salicylic acid (SAL). The interaction of ASE with NaOH induces a shift of the PL band at 405–407 nm. Arguments for the reaction of ASA with NaOH are shown by Raman scattering and FTIR spectroscopy.

This paper prepared composites under the free membranes form that are based on thermoplastic polymers of the type of polyurethane (TPU) and polyolefin (TPO), which are blended in the weight ratio of 2:1, and ceramic nanoparticles (CNs) such as BaSrTiO₃ and SrTiO₃. The structural, optical, and conductive properties of these new composite materials are reported. The X-ray diffraction studies highlight a cubic crystalline structure of these CNs. The main variations in the vibrational properties of the TPU:TPO blend induced by CNs consist of the following: (i) the increase in the intensity of the Raman line of 1616 cm⁻¹; (ii) the down-shift of the IR band from 800 to 791 cm⁻¹; (iii) the change of the ratio between the absorbance of IR bands localized in the spectral range 950–1200 cm⁻¹; and (iv) the decrease in the absorbance of the IR band from 1221 cm⁻¹. All these variations were correlated with a preferential adsorption of thermoplastic polymers on the CNs surface. A photoluminescence (PL) quenching process of thermoplastic polymers is demonstrated to occur in the presence of CNs. The anisotropic PL measurements have highlighted a change in the angle of the binding of the TPU:TPO blend, which varies from 23.7° to ≈49.3° and ≈53.4°, when the concentration of BaSrTiO₃ and SrTiO₃ CNs, respectively, is changed from 0 to 25 wt. %. Using dielectric spectroscopy, two mechanisms are invoked to take place in the case of the composites based on TPU:TPO blends and CNs, i.e., one regarding the type of the electrical conduction and another specifying the dielectric–dipolar relaxation processes.

In this work, new evidence for the photodegradation reactions of acetaminophen (AC) is reported by photoluminescence (PL), Raman scattering and FTIR spectroscopy. Under excitation wavelength of 320 nm, AC shows a PL band in the spectral range of 340–550 nm, whose intensity decreases by exposure to UV light. The chemical interaction of AC with the NaOH solutions, having the concentration ranging between 0.001 and 0.3 M, induces a gradual enhancement of the photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and PL spectra, when the exposure time of samples at the UV light increases until 140 min, as a result of the formation of p-aminophenol and sodium acetate. This behavior is not influenced by the excipients or other active compounds in pharmaceutical products as demonstrated by PLE and PL studies. Experimental arguments for the obtaining of p-aminophenol and sodium acetate, when AC has interacted with NaOH, are shown by Raman scattering and FTIR spectroscopy.

The influence of Ag and Au nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets on the photodegradation of α-lipoic acid (ALA) was determined by UV-VIS spectroscopy. The ALA photodegradation was explained by considering the affinity of thiol groups for the metallic nanoparticles synthesized in the presence of trisodium citrate. The presence of excipients did not induce further changes when ALA interacts with Ag and Au nanoparticles with sizes of 5 and 10 nm by exposure to UV light. Compared to the Raman spectrum of ALA powder, changes in Raman lines’ position and relative intensities when ALA has interacted with films obtained from Au nanoparticles with sizes between 5 and 50 nm were significant. These changes were explained by considering the chemical mechanism of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The photodegradation of ALA that had interacted with metallic nanoparticles was inhibited in the presence of RGO sheets.

The aim of this work is to highlight the influence of UV light on the hydrolysis reaction of nifedipine (NIF) in the presence of alkaline solutions. In this context, the photodegradation of NIF in the absence of alkaline solutions caused (a) a change in the ratio between the absorbances of three bands in the UV-VIS spectra localized at 224–240 nm, 272–276 nm and 310–340 nm, assigned to the electronic transitions of -COOCH₃ groups, -NO₂ groups and a heterocycle with six atoms; (b) a red-shift of the photoluminescence (PL) band from 458 nm to 477 nm, simultaneous with an increase in its intensity; (c) a decrease in the ratio of the Raman line intensities, which peaked at 1224 cm⁻¹ and 1649 cm⁻¹, associated with the vibrational modes of -C-C-O in the ester group and C=C stretching; and (d) a decrease in the ratio between the absorbances of the IR bands, which peaked at 1493 cm⁻¹ and 1223 cm⁻¹, associated with the vibrational modes of the -NO₂ group and C-N stretching. These changes were explained considering the NIF photodegradation reaction, which leads to the generation of the compound 4-(2-nitrosophenyl)-2.6-dimethyl-3.5-dimethoxy carbonyl pyridine. The interaction of NIF with NaOH in the absence of UV light was demonstrated to induce changes in the vibrational mode of the -C-C-O bond in the ester group. The photodegradation of NIF after its reaction with NaOH induces significant changes highlighted in its (a) UV-VIS spectra, by the shift of the absorption band at 238 nm; (b) PL spectra, by the supraunitary value of the ratio between the emission band intensities at 394–396 nm and 450 nm; (c) Raman spectra, by the change in the ratio between the intensities of the lines that peaked at 1224 cm⁻¹ and 1649 cm⁻¹ from 0.61 to 0.49; and (d) FTIR spectra, by the lowered absorbance of the IR band at 1493 cm⁻¹ assigned to the vibrational mode of the -NO₂ group as a result of the generation of the nitroso compound. These changes were explained considering the hydrolysis reaction products of NIF, as the nitroso compound is converted to a lactam-type compound. The photodegradation reaction rate constants of NIF and NIF after interaction with NaOH were also reported. The decrease in thermal stability of NIF samples after interaction with NaOH, as well as of NIF after exposure to UV light compared to NIF prior to exposure to UV light, was demonstrated by thermogravimetry, and the key fragments were confirmed by mass spectrometry.