The platinum-group minerals (PGM) of the Konder zoned alkali-ultrabasic massif, located east of the Aldan Shield, in far- eastern Russia, are predominantly represented by isoferroplatinum of two generations, both with Fe contents ranging from 7.5 to 11.5 wt.%. A high-temperature isoferroplatinum is saturated with platinum-group-element (PGE) impurities: up to 5.3 Ir, 2.9 Os, and 1.8 Rh (all in wt.%). In contrast, the later isoferroplatinum contains lower levels of Ir, Os and Rh: less than 1.9 Ir, 1.0 Os, 0.6 Rh (in wt.%). The minor PGM are represented by a wide range of solid solutions in the system Os-Ir-Rh-Pt, tetraferroplatinum, tulameenite, hongshiite, minerals of erlichmanite-laurite and irarsite-hollingworthite series, sperrylite, bismuthides, antimonides, tellurides, stannides, and hydroxides. There are possibly new mineral species: native ruthenium, the Pd-dominant analogue of hongshiite, Pt2As3, the Pt-dominant analogue of konderite and inaglyite, and others minerals, which form rims around grains of isoferroplatinum and inclusions in it. A similar morphology and distribution as found with Pt3Fe are observed with gold, related to rare lenses of sulfide and impregnations in dunite (Cu-, Pt-, and Pd-bearing high-grade gold) and monzodiorite cutting dunite (low-impurity middle- and low-grade gold).

We studied a number of chemical characteristics in the coals of the Spetsugli germanium-bearing area of the Pavlovskoe coalfield in southern Primorye. It was found that the coals show variable content

17 samples, including 16 coal-seam samples and one parting, were collected from 4 mines in Ningdong Coalfield, west Ordos Basin, China. Maceral, mineralogy and geochemistry of them were studied by using of optical microscope, LTA-XRD (low temperature ashing-X-ray diffraction), XRF (X-ray fluorescence), and ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). The results indicate that Ningdong Jurassic coal is a medium volatile bituminous coal, with medium-ash, medium-sulfur and low-medium-calorific. The vitrinite of them is much higher, while the inertinite and liptinite are less, than that of other Early-Middle Jurassic in Ordos Basin. The minerals consist of abundant of quartz, kaolinite, illite, albite, and trace of chamosite, calcite, pyrite. Kaolinite, illite, chamosite, quartz, and albite are origin from weathering productions of gneiss, granulite and granite in Helan Moutain. The coals are enriched by Na₂O, MgO, K₂O, MnO, Ga, Cr, Rb, Sr, Cd, and Ba in comparison with Chinese average abundances of elements in coals. The major carriers Na₂O, MgO, K₂O are clay minerals and albite. The hazardous trace elements, Cd and Cr occur in organic matter and clay mineral, respectively. The rare metals, Ga and Rb are associated with clay mineral. The medium REY are enriched in the coal.

In the present investigation, transgenic tobacco callus cultures and plants overexpressing the silicatein gene LoSilA1 from marine sponge Latrunculia oparinae were obtained and their bioreduction behaviour for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was studied. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic flame electron microscopy (AFM) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Our measurements showed that the reduction of silver nitrate produced spherical AgNPs with diameters in the range of 12-80 nm. The results of XRD analysis proved the crystal nature of the obtained AgNPs. FTIR analysis indicated that particles are reduced and stabilized in solution by the capping agent, which is likely to be proteins present in the callus extract. Interestingly, the reduction potential of LoSiLA1-transgenic callus line was increased three-fold compared with the empty vector-transformed calli. The synthesized AgNPs were found to exhibit strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The present study reports the first evidence for using genetic engineering for activation of the reduction potential of plant cells for synthesis of biocidal AgNPs.