The review analyzes the potential of ³¹ Р MAS NMR spectroscopy of adsorbed trisubstituted phosphines and phosphine oxides for the investigation of the acidic properties of molecular sieve catalysts. The main methodological approaches to identifying sites of different types are considered. The assignment of signals in the ³¹ Р MAS NMR spectra of methyl-, ethyl-, n- butyl-, and phenyl-substituted phosphines and their oxides adsorbed on zeolites of different structural types and other molecular sieves to Lewis and Brønsted acid sites is reported, and the potential of ³¹ Р MAS NMR spectroscopy as a tool for the determination of the strength of these sites and their amount is analyzed. It is shown that varying the size of the substituent allows assessment of the localization and accessibility of acid sites in zeolites.

In soils, cadmium (Cd) and its compounds, originating from industrial activities, differ both in mobility as well as in their ability to permeate the soil solution from naturally occurring cadmium compounds (native Cd). Therefore, the determination of the parameters of cadmium mobility in soils and its accumulation by plants in the soil–soil solution–plant system is very important from both scientific and practical viewpoints. ¹⁰⁹Cd was used as a radioactive tracer to study the processes of the transition of Cd into the aqueous phase and its uptake by plants over the course of a vegetative lysimeter experiment. Using sequential extraction according to the Tessier–Förstner procedure and modified BCR schemes, certain patterns were determined in the distribution of Cd/¹⁰⁹Cd among their forms in various compounds in the soil, along with the coefficients of the enrichment of native stable Cd with radioactive ¹⁰⁹Cd. It was shown that the labile pool of stable Cd compounds (29%) was significantly smaller than that of radioactive ¹⁰⁹Cd (69%). The key parameters characterizing the migration capacity of Cd in the soil–soil solution–plant system were determined. It was found that the distribution coefficient of native Cd between the soil and the quasi-equilibrium lysimeter solution exceeded the similar value for the ¹⁰⁹Cd radionuclide by 2.2 times, and the concentration coefficients of Cd and ¹⁰⁹Cd in the barley roots were 9 times higher than in its vegetative parts. During the experiment, the average removal of Cd (¹⁰⁹Cd) from the soil by each barley plant was insignificant: 0.002 (0.004)%. Based on the results of ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of a lyophilized sample of the high-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter (HMWDOM) of the soil solution, its components were determined. It transpired that the isolated lyophilized samples of HMWDOM with different molecular weights had an identical structural and functional composition. The selective sorption parameters of the HMWDOM and humic acid (HA) with respect to Cd²⁺ ions were determined by the isotope dilution method.

Current research in bone tissue engineering is focused not only on basic parameters of the materials, such as biocompatibility and degradation rate but also on intrinsic osteogenic and antimicrobial properties, essential to provide a rapid tissue regeneration without negative effects due to periprosthetic infections, that may result in revision surgeries. One of the major strategies to enhance the osteogenic and antimicrobial performance of calcium phosphates is the ionic substitution, in particular, with magnesium and borates. In this study, we focused on the synthesis of boron-substituted tricalcium phosphate (B-TCP) with a target of 5 mol.% substitution via the solid-state synthesis with mechano-activation. Synthesis from raw precursors, without the preliminary brushite wet precipitation, led to the primary phase of β-TCP, which was proved by the XRD analysis. According to the IR-spectroscopy and ³¹P NMR analysis, boron substitution occurred in the synthesized sample. The developed material showed a modest antibacterial performance against E. coli, with 13.5 ± 5.0% growth inhibition, and E. faecalis, with 16.7 ± 5.5% inhibition. The biocompatibility of β-TCP and B-TCP was tested through the MTT assay and osteogenic differentiation of the mesenchymal stromal cells. The proposed synthesis approach can be useful for the fabrication of B-TCP ceramics for bone tissue engineering.