The selection of appropriate solvents is crucial for determining both the composition and quantity of secondary metabolites extracted from medicinal plants. This study investigates the influence of solvent polarity on the extraction yield and phytochemical profile of Heracleum persicum fruits. Various solvents were tested as extragents, including polar (methanol, ethanol, acetone, acetonitrile), non-polar (hexane), and binary mixtures (ethanol/hexane, ethanol/water). Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were employed to analyze the extracts. Hexane, the least effective solvent, extracted only one compound, which can be isolated in pure form. Methanol, the most efficient solvent for quantitative extraction, yielded 7 out of 12 extracted compounds. However, ethanol extracted the highest number of compounds, with a total of 16. Additionally, a new criterion for assessing solvent extraction power is proposed, based on the sum of peak areas in the chromatograms, providing an objective measure of solvent effectiveness.

A new family of Cu(II) and Ni(II) salen complexes was synthesized and fully characterized through various physicochemical methods. Their catalytic activity was evaluated in the phase transfer C_α-alkylation reaction of the Schiff bases of D,L-alanine ester and benzaldehyde derivatives. It was found that the introduction of a chlorine atom into the ortho- and para-positions of the phenyl ring of the substrate resulted in an increase in both the chemical yield and the asymmetric induction (ee 66–98%). The highest enantiomeric excess was achieved in the case of a Cu(II) salen complex based on (S,S)-cyclohexanediamine and salicylaldehyde at −20 °C. The occurrence of a bulky substituent in the ligand present in the complexes led to a drastic decrease in ee and chemical yield. For instance, the introduction of bulky substituents at positions 3 and 5 of the phenyl ring of the catalyst resulted in a complete loss of the stereoselectivity control in the alkylation reaction.

The present study investigated the anion composition of drinking water from various cities and villages in Armenia, including spring water and tap water samples. The simultaneous separation was achieved for fluoride, chloride, bromide, nitrite, nitrate, sulfate, and phosphate anions with the correlation coefficients >0.998. Validation of the method was carried out in accordance with the requirements of guidelines in terms of selectivity, specificity, system suitability, linearity, accuracy, precision, lower limits of detection and quantitation, robustness, and stability. The method was suitable for routine drinking water quality assessment in line with the national or World Health Organization (WHO) regulations. The validated method was further used to analyze drinking water samples from different regions of Armenia. The observed concentrations for the anions in drinking water complied with the WHO limits for drinking water with some exceptions. The test method can be submitted to quality control laboratories as a convenient and practical tool for routine analysis and monitoring studies.