Influence of protein hydrolysis on the growth kinetics of β-lg fibrils

Recently it was found that protein hydrolysis is an important step in the formation of β-lactoglobulin fibrils at pH 2 and elevated temperatures. The objective of the present study was to further investigate the influence of hydrolysis on the kinetics of fibril formation. Both the hydrolysis of β-lactoglobulin and the growth of the fibrils were followed as a function of time and temperature, using SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a Thioflavin T fluorescence assay. As an essential extension to existing models, the quantification of the effect of the hydrolysis on the fibrillar growth was established by a simple polymerization model including a hydrolysis step.     

Analysis of the Volmer–Krishtalic mechanism for the chlorine electrode reaction

The dependencies of the current density and surface coverage of the adsorbed intermediates on overpotential were established without kinetic approximations for the chlorine electrode reaction under the Volmer–Krishtalic mechanism. Tafelian regions were obtained which slope values cannot be derived from the use of the rate determining step criteria, such as 2.3026(2RT/3F) and 2.3026(RT/F), as well as two or three Tafel regions with different slopes in the same anodic or cathodic curve. The existence of limiting kinetic current densities was also demonstrated. Finally, the results obtained were analysed and discussed, comparing them with those obtained by the usual methods.     

Role of the molecular weight and the composition on the hydrolysis kinetics of monolayers of poly(α-hydroxy acid)s

The hydrolysis kinetics of spread insoluble monolayers of poly(α-hydroxy acid)s with various molecular weights and lactic acid–glycolic acid molar ratios was followed by measuring simultaneously the decrease in the surface area at constant surface pressure and the evolution of the surface potential. The interfacial hydrolysis at alkaline pH leads to the progressive fragmentation of the polymer molecules and the appearance of charged insoluble products (detected by measuring the surface potential) and small soluble fragments (detected by measuring the decrease in the surface area). The data obtained by both approaches were interpreted in the framework of the random scission model. The rates of hydrolysis are larger for polymers with smaller initial polymerization numbers and increase with the decrease in the molar ratio of lactic acid units. Received: 7 December 1998 Accepted in revised form: 8 March 1999     

The kinetics of the polymorphic transition of the α-form of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane

The α → γ polymorphic transition in hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane was studied by optical microscopy, calorimetry, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and X-ray diffraction. The thermal effect of the transition was determined. The kinetics of the process is complex because of the relation between structural rearrangement and transition with the removal of water stabilizing the structure of the α polymorph. Depending on the morphological characteristics of the initial sample, the polymorphic transition can follow a frontal-heterogeneous mechanism (single crystal → polycrystalline aggregate) or a quasi-homogeneous mechanism (single crystal → single crystal).     

Mechanistic studies of Fc-PNA(⋅DNA) surface dynamics based on the kinetics of electron-transfer processes

N‐Terminally ferrocenylated and C‐terminally gold‐surface‐grafted peptide nucleic acid (PNA) strands were exploited as unique tools for the electrochemical investigation of the strand dynamics of short PNA(?DNA) duplexes. On the basis of the quantitative analysis of the kinetics and the diffusional characteristics of the electron‐transfer process, a nanoscopic view of the Fc‐PNA(?DNA) surface dynamics was obtained. Loosely packed, surface‐confined Fc‐PNA single strands were found to render the charge‐transfer process of the tethered Fc moiety diffusion‐limited, whereas surfaces modified with Fc‐PNA?DNA duplexes exhibited a charge‐transfer process with characteristics between the two extremes of diffusion and surface limitation. The interplay between the inherent strand elasticity and effects exerted by the electric field are supposed to dictate the probability of a sufficient approach of the Fc head group to the electrode surface, as reflected in the measured values of the electron‐transfer rate constant, k⁰. An in‐depth understanding of the dynamics of surface‐bound PNA and PNA?DNA strands is of utmost importance for the development of DNA biosensors using (Fc‐)PNA recognition layers.     

DSC studies on the curing kinetics of chitosan–alanine using glutaraldehyde as crosslinker

The curing of chitosan–alanine with glutaraldehyde as curing agent in the presence of Chlorpheniramine Maleate (CPM) is carried out with the help of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The effect of concentration of chitosan and percentage of crosslinker on the curing is studied at a rate of 5 °C/min. Cure kinetics are measured from 30 to 200 °C at four different heating rates (3, 5, 7 and 10 °C/min). It is observed that the crosslinking of chitosan–alanine is an exothermic process which results in a positive peak in the curves. An increase in activation energy (E _α) is observed with extent of conversion.     

Catalytic and inhibiting effects of ferrocene on the bulk radical–coordination polymerization of methyl methacrylate from the standpoint of formal kinetics

The kinetic curves and rates of bulk radical–coordination polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by the benzoyl peroxide–ferrocene system at 293–373 K, initial benzoyl peroxide concentrations of 10^–4–10^–1 mol/L, and a constant initial ferrocene concentration of 10^–3 mol/L have been calculated using a mathematical model in which the process is considered from the standpoint of formal kinetics. The calculations have demonstrated that, at low methyl methacrylate conversions, ferrocene catalyzes the process at any benzoyl peroxide concentration; at medium and high methyl methacrylate conversions, deficient amounts of ferrocene with respect to benzoyl catalyze the process as well, while excess ferrocene inhibits the process. The observed effect is explained by the specific ferrocene–benzoyl peroxide interaction, which, depending on the ferrocene: benzoyl peroxide ratio, either increases or decreases the concentration of radicals in the reaction mass.     

Oscillatory kinetics of the permanganate oxidation of oxalic acid?

The oxidation of oxalic acid by permanganate satisfies the mechanistic criteria of the oscillatory kinetics. However, the oscillatory changes in the absorbancy eventually found are due to formation of colloidal and coagulated MnO₂ and not to the chemical events.

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. , , MnO₂, .

     

Effect of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes on the curing kinetics and reaction mechanism of bismaleimide–triazine

Functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) with varying functionalization degrees were prepared by chemical methods. The effect of f-MWCNTs on the cure kinetics of bismaleimide–triazine (BT) resin was studied through nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. The reaction activation energy (E _α ) was determined by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method. The results show that f-MWCNTs have more acceleration ability than pristine MWCNTs, due to more groups on the surface of f-MWCNTs than that of pristine MWCNTs. The activation energy was decreased from a value of 91.3 kJ mol^?1 for the neat BT resin to 74.2 kJ mol^?1 at the small mass loading (1.0 %) of f7-MWCNTs. The effect of f-MWCNTs on the reaction mechanism has been investigated. It shows that the f-MWCNTs accelerate the cure reaction of BT resin by providing the Lewis acids (H⁺) to make the “Diels–Alder” reaction and “ENE” reaction of BT resins more efficient. These findings offer useful insights into the cure technology of thermosetting resin filled with f-MWCNTs, without negative effect on the cure reaction.     

The study on the effect of the substitution of K2CO3 with Ca(OH)2 on kinetics on CO2–lignite coal gasification

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Three kinds of lignite were mixed with K2CO3 and Ca(OH)2 and were gasified with CO2 to investigate the effect that the addition of Ca(OH)2 had on the...     

Monte—Carlo model of the diffusion-limited reaction kinetics in microheterogeneous media. Comparison with the experimental plots of the forward and backward electron phototransfer kinetics on the pore diameter in silica gel

The kinetics of the diffusion-limited decay reaction A + B B was simulated by the Monte—Carlo method on a two-dimensional square lattice with defects presented by randomly distributed sites. The cases were considered where [B] [A] at the random initial distribution (quenching reaction) and [B] = [A] with the initial distribution of the A and B particles on neighboring sites (geminate recombination). The kinetic curves were approximated by the simplest analytical equation [A]/[A]₀ = (1 – )exp[–(kt)^1–h ] + (where k and are constants). The plots of the heterogeneity parameter (h) and time-averaged first-order rate constant vs. concentration of defects (p) or B particles (in the case of quenching) were obtained and compared with similar correlations obtained earlier by the experimental study of the kinetics of forward (quenching reaction) and backward (geminate recombination) electron phototransfer on the surface of different porous silica gels. The experimental plots of h vs. silica gel porosity are in satisfactory agreement with the plots of h vs. p in the model space, if the fraction of volume inaccessible for reactants, calculated from the free silica gel volume, is chosen as the p parameter for silica gel.Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1536–1541, August, 2004.     

On the mechanism of the unwanted acetylation of polysaccharides by 1,3-dialkylimidazolium acetate ionic liquids: part 2—the impact of lignin on the kinetics of cellulose acetylation

Cellulose acetylation has been reported as a side reaction of cellulose treatment with the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIm][OAc]) (Karatzos et al. in Cellulose 19:307–312, 2012) and other 1,3-dialkylimidazolium acetate ionic liquids. 1-Acetylimidazole (AcIm), an [EMIm][OAc] impurity, has been found to be the actual acetylating agent (Zweckmair et al. in Cellulose 22:3583–3596, 2015), and the degree of acetylation was relatively low, below a DS of approx. 0.1%. Higher degrees of cellulose acetylation (DS > 10%) have been observed when the entire wood was mixed with [EMIm][OAc] instead of cellulosic pulp only (Abushammala et al. in Carbohydr Polym 134:609–616, 2015). In this paper, we explore the impact of wood constituents, mainly lignin, on cellulose acetylation using AcIm. The results demonstrate that lignin itself can be readily acetylated upon mixing with AcIm, and—noteworthy—that lignin presence significantly accelerates cellulose acetylation. The initial rate of cellulose acetylation by AcIm increased from 1.8 to 4.7%/h when only 1% of lignin, based on cellulose mass, was added. A mechanistic study employing cellulose and lignin model compounds showed lignin to be more susceptible to acetylation than cellulose and to act as an intermediate acetyl group source for further cellulose acetylation in a catalytic scenario.     

Effect of mass transfer and solution composition on the quantification of reaction kinetics by differential electrochemical mass spectrometry

Differential electrochemical mass spectrometry(DEMS)is one of the most powerful techniques for both the mechanistic and kinetic study of complicated electrocatalytic reactions.It can provide information on the nature and yields of the products generated,their production rate,and the structure-activity relationship between the electrocatalysts and the target reactions.The precise calibration of the mass signal is a prerequisite for the accurate evaluation of reaction kinetics.In this work,we use the oxidation reactions of CO and HCOOH to demonstrate how certain conditions,such as the flow rate and solution composition,affect the collection efficiency and ionization probability of the species to be detected.These parameters can affect the determination of the mass calibration constant and the accuracy of the subsequent quantitative DEMS analysis.We show the relationship between the mass calibration constant and the flow rate,and provide strategies for eliminating this and the related problems.     

Investigation of the kinetics of the chain-radical process in the system iron carbonyl–Lewis base

An ESR spectroscopy investigation of the kinetics of accumulation and consumption of iron carbonyl radical anions, Fe₃(CO)₁₂⁻ and Fe₃(CO)₁₁⁻, arising in the reaction of Fe₃(CO)₁₂ with (Et₄N)SEt in THF at 19.5°C, was carried out using the stopped-flow technique. The solution of the inverse kinetic problem showed a satisfactory agreement between calculated and experimental data. This supports the principal idea that chain radical processes including preliminary complex formation followed by one-electron redox-initiation lie at the heart of the interaction of iron carbonyls with Lewis bases, and that the following transformations are due to electron and ligand changes in the coordination sphere of seventeen-electron coordinatively unsaturated species.     

Application of non-isothermal cure kinetics on the interaction of poly(ethylene terephthalate) — Alkyd resin paints

Samples of paint (P), reused PET (PET-R) and paint/PET-R mixtures (PPET-R) were evaluated using DSC to verify their physical-chemical properties and thermal behavior. Films from paints and PPET-R are visually similar. It was possible to establish that the maximum amount of PET-R that can be added to paint without significantly altering its filming properties is 2%. The cure process (80–203°C) was identified through DSC curves. The kinetic parameters, activation energy (E _a) and Arrhenius parameters (A) for the samples containing 0.5 to 1% of PET-R, were calculated using the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa isoconversional method. It was observed that for greater amounts of PET-R added, there is a decrease in the E _a values for the cure process. A Kinetic compensation effect (KCE), represented by the equation InA=−2.70+0.31E _a was observed for all the samples. The most suitable kinetic model to describe this cure process is the autocatalytic Šesták-Berggreen, model applied to heterogeneous systems.     

Influence of chlorine and potassium additives on the catalytic properties of reduced Mo?Ni and Cr?Ni complex compounds

Chlorine and potassium are introduced during the preparation of Mo–Ni and Cr–Ni complex compounds by using nickel chloride and potassium molybdate or dichromate as starting materials. The resulting compounds are isomorphous with a series of complexes prepared with nickel nitrate and ammonium heptamolybdate or dichromate, previously described. The influence of the presence of chlorine and of potassium on the properties of the catalysts obtained by reduction of these compounds by hydrogen is investigated. Potassium-containing catalysts show a behavior similar to copper based catalysts.

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Mo–Ni Cr–Ni, . , , . , . , , .

     

Fabrication of rod-shaped β-FeOOH: the roles of polyethylene glycol and chlorine anion

β-FeOOH nanorods of 40 nm wide and 450 nm long were fabricated through precisely regulating the hydrolysis kinetics of Fe~(3+) in polyethylene glycol and the concentration of Cl~- as the structure-directing agent. Detailed structural and chemical analyses of the intermediates during the synthesis identified that the strong interaction between PEG and Fe~(3+) modulated the hydrolysis kinetics of Fe~(3+) and prevented the aggregation of β-FeOOH nanorods; while Cl~- provided sufficient nucleation sites, stabilized the hollow channel of β-FeOOH, and more importantly induced the growth of the nanorods along [001] direction.     

Crowding alters the folding kinetics of a β-hairpin by modulating the stability of intermediates

Crowded environments inside cells exert significant effects on protein structure, stability, and function, but their effects on (pre)folding dynamics and kinetics, especially at molecular levels, remain ill-understood. Here, we examine the latter for, as an initial candidate, a small de novo β-hairpin using extensive all-atom molecular dynamics simulations for crowder volume fractions φ up to 40%. We find that crowding does not introduce new folding intermediates or misfolded structures, although, as expected, it promotes compact structures and reduces the accessible conformational space. Furthermore, while hydrophobic-collapse-mediated folding is slightly enhanced, the turn-directed zipper mechanism (dominant in crowder-free situations) increases many-fold, becoming even more dominant. Interestingly, φ influences the stability of the folding intermediates (FI(1) and FI(2)) in an apparently counterintuitive manner, which can be understood only by considering specific intrachain interactions and intermediate (and hierarchical) structural transitions. For φ values <20%, native-turn formation is enhanced, and FI(1), characterized by a hairpin structure but slightly mismatched hydrophobic contacts, increases in frequency, thus enhancing eventual folding. However, higher φ values impede native-turn formation, and FI(2), which lacks native turns, re-emerges and increasingly acts as a kinetic trap. The change in the stability of these intermediates with φ strongly correlates with the hierarchical folding stages and their kinetics. The results show that crowding assists intermediate structural changes more by impeding backward transitions than by promoting forward transitions and that a delicate competition between reduction in configuration space and introduction of kinetic traps along the folding route is key to understanding folding kinetics under crowded conditions.     

Thermal analysis study of the influence of rapid solidification on the precipitation kinetics of theδ′ (Al3Li) Metastable phase in an Al-Mn-Li Alloy

The precipitation kinetics of the (Al₃Li) phase in two rapidly solidified and one conventionally cast samples of an Al-2.3Li-6.5Mn (in wt%) alloy are compared. Following high cooling rates, manganese is retained in solid solution in the aluminium matrix (Al) up to 6.0 wt%, far beyond the thermodynamic equilibrium value (0.36 wt% at 500°). Extended solid solution of manganese in aluminium induces strain gradients, similar to those produed by dislocations. The effect of such gradients, the size of which is proportional to the solute atomic fraction, is to enhance lithium precipitation, by lowering the activation energy, as observed, and also by affecting the rate parameter. Kinetic thermal analysis has been performed in a series of nonisothermal DTA experiments, operated in the heat flux DSC mode. The precipitation of the (Al₃Li) phase is evidenced by an exothermic peak whose characteristics were analyzed. The rate of transformation (precipitation) is assumed to obey the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation. The activation energy for the precipitation process, as well as the kinetic rate parameter have been evaluated for the rapidly solidified and the conventionally cast specimens. The activation energy for precipitation is lowered, from 105 kJ·mol^–1 for the conventionally cast material, down to 77 kJ·mol^–1 for a sample that exhibits manganese solid solubility extension of 6.00 wt%. The rate parameter for the precipitation reaction is reduced from about 1.40 for the slowly cast sample to 1.20 the rapidly solidified sample, as a result of additional stress-assisted precipitation.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird die Präzipitationskinetik der (Al₃Li) Phase in zwei schnell erstarrten und einer gewöhnlich gegossenen Probe einer Al-2.3Li-6.5Mn (in Gew.%) Legierung miteinander verglichen. Bei hohen Abkühlgeschwindigkeiten wird Mangan in der Aluminiummatrix (Al) bis zu 6.0 Gew.% als feste Lösung zurückbehalten, weit über den thermodynamischen Gleichgewichtswert (0.36 Gew.% bei 500°C) hinaus. Derart ausgedehnte feste Lösungen von Mangan in Aluminium erzeugen Spannungsgradienten, ähnlich wie die durch Versetzung hervorgerufen. Die Wirkung solcher Gradienten, deren Größe sich proportional zum gelösten Atombruch verhält, steigert, wie beobachtet durch Minderung der Aktivierungsenergie und auch durch Beeinflussung des Geschwindigkeitsparameters die Präzipitation von Lithium. Die kinetische Thermoanalyse wurde mittels einer Reihe von nichtisothermen DTA-Versuchen durchgeführt. Die Präzipitation der (Al₃Li) Phase wird durch einen exothermen Peak bewiesen, dessen Charakteristik analysiert wurde. Die Geschwindigkeit der Umwandlung (Präzipitation) scheint der Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Gleichung zu unterliegen. Aktivierungsenergie des Präzipitationsvorganges als auch der Geschwindigkeitsparameter wurden sowohl für schnell verfestigte als auch für gewöhnlich gegossenen Proben ermittelt. Die Aktivierungsenergie für die Präzipitation wird von 105 kJmol^–1 für das gewöhnlich gegossene Material auf einen Wert von 77 kJmol^–1 für eine Probe mit einem gelösten Mangangehalt von 6.00 Gew.% gesenkt. Der Geschwindigkeitsparameter für die Präzipitationsreaktion wird von etwa 1.40 für die langsam gegossene Probe auf 1.20 für die schnell verfestigten Proben gesenkt.

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Dedicated to Professor Dr. H. J. Seifert on the occasion of his 60^th birthday     

Catalytic effect of CTAB reverse micelles on the kinetics of dissociation of bis(2,4,6–tripyridyl-s-triazine) iron(II)

The kinetics of dissociation of bis(2,4,6–tripyridyl-s-triazine) iron(II), ([Fe(TPTZ)₂]²⁺) has been studied in CTAB/chloroform/hexane reverse micellar medium. In the absence of acid, the reaction is immeasurably slow and does not go to completion in conventional aqueous medium but is markedly accelerated and takes place with a rate constant equal to 55.3 × 10^?3 s^?1 and goes to completion in reverse micelles. The significant increase in rate is attributed to the special properties of the water pool in the reverse micelles like low dielectric constant, nucleophilic effect of Br^- ion, and favorable partitioning of TPTZ in the organic phase. The rate of the reaction decreases with increase in W (=[H₂O]/[CTAB]) at constant CTAB concentration and remains constant with increase in CTAB at fixed W. The results are compared with other closely related systems.