Kinetics study of norbixin’s first stage thermal decomposition,using dynamic method

Cis-norbixin isomer obtained by hydrolysis of cis-bixin and isolated by solvent extraction from annatto seeds. The thermal decomposition data of the cis-norbixin samples were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis at different heating rates in the 25–900°C temperature range. DSC curves showed that thermal decomposition reactions for cis-norbixin occurred in the solid phase. The kinetic parameters, such as activation energy and pre-exponential factor were determined using integral and approximate methods: Coats–Redfern, Madhusudanan, Horowitz–Metzger and Van Krevelen. F1 mechanism describes well the first stage of the thermal decomposition.     

Comparative computational and experimental study on the thermochemistry of the chloropyrimidines

The standard (p0 = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation, Delta fH(0)(M), for liquid 2,4,6-trichloropyrimidine and for crystalline 2-chloropyrimidine, 2,4- and 4,6-dichloropyrimidine, and 2,4,5,6-tetrachloropyrimidine compounds were determined at T = 298.15 K by rotating-bomb combustion calorimetry. The standard molar enthalpies of vaporization or sublimation, Delta (g)(cr,l) H(0)(M), of these compounds at T = 298.15 K were determined by Calvet microcalorimetry. The experimental standard molar enthalpies of formation of those compounds, in the gaseous state, at T = 298.15 K, were thus obtained by combining these two sets of results. The latter values have been employed in the calibration of the computational procedure, which has been used to estimate the gas-phase enthalpies of formation for the other chloropyrimidines that were not possible to obtain in a pure form for the experimental study. It is found that the exchange-correlation functional based on the local spin density approximation (LSDA) seems to be a cheap choice for the estimation of enthalpies of formation for heterocycles containing nitrogen atoms; the well-known B3LYP hybrid method yields larger differences, with respect to the experimental values, for 2,4,6-tri- and 2,4,5,6-tetrachloropyrimidines.     

On the possibility that cyclodextrins' chiral cavities can be available on AOT n-heptane reverse micelles. A UV-visible and induced circular dichroism study

The formation of reverse micelles (RMs) of sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) in n-heptane including two different beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) derivatives (hydroxypropyl-beta-CD, hp-beta-CD, and decenyl succinyl-beta-CD, Mod-beta-CD) is reported. Both cyclodextrins can be incorporated into AOT RMs in different zones within the aggregate, while beta-CD cannot. Using UV-vis and induced circular dichroism (ICD) spectroscopy and different achiral molecular probes (some azo dyes, p-nitroaniline and ferrocene), it was possible to determine that Mod-beta-CD is located with its cavity at the oil side of the AOT RM interface, while for hp-beta-CD the cavity is inside the RM water pool. Among the molecular probes used, methyl orange (MO) was the only one which gave the ICD signal when dissolved in the AOT RMs with hp-beta-CD, so a detailed study of MO behavior in homogeneous media was also performed to compare with the microheterogeneous media. The solvatochromic behavior of the dye depends not only on the polarity of the media but also on other specific solvent properties. A Kamlet-Taft analysis shows that the MO absorption spectrum shifts to longer wavelength with an increase in the solvent polarity-polarizability (pi*) and the hydrogen donor ability (alpha) of the medium. MO appears to be almost 3 times more sensitive to the pi* parameter than to the alpha parameter. In addition, from the MO absorption spectral changes with the hp-beta-CD concentration, the association equilibrium constants in pure water (K11W) and inside the RMs (K11RM) were computed. The results show that K11W is almost 10 times larger than the value inside the RMs. The latter can be explained considering that MO resides anchored to the RM interface through hydrogen bond interaction with the hydration bound water. This study shows for the first time that the cyclodextrin chiral cavity is available for a guest in an organic medium such as the RMs; therefore, we have created a potentially powerful nanoreactor with two different confined regions in the same aggregate: the polar core of the RMs and the chiral hydrophobic cavity of cyclodextrin.     

Reaction mechanism of the vitamin K-dependent glutamate carboxylase: a computational study

In the reaction cycle of glutamate carboxylase, vitamin K epoxidation by O2 has been proposed to generate a very strong base able to remove a proton from the gamma carbon of a Glu residue, thus yielding a Glu-based carbanion that readily reacts with CO2. We have used hybrid density functional theory to study this appealing mechanism. Our calculations show a very exergonic four-step mechanism with the reaction of (triplet) O2 with the singlet vitamin K anion as the rate-limiting step, with a rate similar to the experimental value. Our study also establishes the need to apply continuum models when performing the optimization of minimum-energy crossing points between potential energy surfaces of different multiplicities for enzyme model systems.     

Dielectrophoretic manipulation of fluorescing single-walled carbon nanotubes

We investigate the behavior of fluorescing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) under dielectrophoretic conditions and demonstrate their collection with fluorescence microscopy. SWCNTs are dispersed in water with the aid of a nonionic surfactant, Triton X-100, and labeled through noncovalent binding with the dye 3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide (diOC(6)). The chromophore's affinity to the SWCNTs is due to pi-stacking interactions. Carbon nanotube (CNT) localization is clearly identified on the fluorescence images, showing that the nanotubes concentrate between the electrodes and align along the electric field lines.     

Evaluation of GSH adducts of adrenaline in biological samples

The sustained high release of catecholamines to circulation is a deleterious condition that may induce toxicity, which seems to be partially related to the products formed by oxidation of catecholamines that can be further conjugated with glutathione (GSH). The aim of the present study was to develop a method for the determination of GSH adducts of adrenaline in biological samples. Two position isomers of the glutathion-S-yl-adrenaline were synthesized and characterized by HPLC using diode array, coulometric and mass detectors. A method for the extraction of these adducts from human plasma was also developed, based on adsorption to activated alumina, which showed adequate recoveries and proved to be crucial in removing interferences from plasma. The selectivity, precision and linearity of the method were all within the accepted values for these parameters. Furthermore, the sensitivity of this method allows the detection of adduct amounts that are within the range of the expected concentrations for these adducts under certain pathophysiological conditions and/or drug treatments. In conclusion, the development of this method allows the direct analysis of GSH adducts of adrenaline in human plasma, providing a valuable tool for the study of the catecholamine oxidation process and its related toxicity.     

Degradation of eucalypt waste components by Lentinula edodes strains detected by chemical and near-infrared spectroscopy methods

There are many changes, both qualitative and quantitative, in eucalypt waste during growth and fructification of Lentinula edodes. Wet chemical analysis and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy were used in conjunction with multivariate regression and principal components analysis to monitor biodegradation of eucalyptus waste during growth of several L. edodes strains. Weight and component losses of eucalypt residue after biodegradation by L. edodes strains were compared for periods of 1 to 5 mo. Decrease in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents occurred, however it was not concomitant. Measurement of lignin degradation by NIR and wet chemical analysis indicated its attack in the early stages of biodegradation. Selective lignin degradation by L. edodes was observed up to 2 mo of biodegradation for strains DEBIQ and FEB-14. One group of degraded substrate was identified based on the principal component analysis (PCA) of the data on their biodegradation time. Samples treated for 5 months by L. edodes strains (DEBIQ, UFV or FEB-14) differed from other, but no discrimination was observed among them. By the end of 5 mo, NIR analyses showed decrease of about 18-47% cellulose, 35-47% polyose and 39-60% lignin. These data were used for comparison with those obtained by wet chemical method for the degradation of the substrate by other five L. edodes strains cultivated at the same conditions. NIR calibration developed in this study was proven to be perfectly suitable as an analytical method to predict the changes in lignocellulose composition during biodegradation.     

Purification and characterization of a cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase from Paenibacillus campinasensis strain H69-3

A cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase (E.C. 2.4.1.19) from a newly isolated alkalophilic and moderately thermophilic Paenibacillus campinasensis strain H69-3 was purified as a homogeneous protein from culture supernatant. Cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase was produced during submerged fermentation at 45 degrees C and purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G50 ion exchange using a Q-Sepharose column and ion exchange using a Mono-Q column. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was 70 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the pI was 5.3. The optimum pH for enzyme activity was 6.5, and it was stable in the pH range 6.0-11.5. The optimum temperature was 65 degrees C at pH 6.5, and it was thermally stable up to 60 degrees C without substrate during 1 h in the presence of 10 mM CaCl(2). The enzyme activity increased in the presence of Co(2+), Ba(2+), and Mn(2+). Using maltodextrin as substrate, the K(m) and K(cat) were 1.65 mg/mL and 347.9 micromol/mg x min, respectively.     

Direct and remarkably efficient conversion of methane into acetic acid catalyzed by amavadine and related vanadium complexes. A synthetic and a theoretical DFT mechanistic study

Vanadium(IV or V) complexes with N,O- or O,O-ligands, i.e., [VO{N(CH2CH2O)3}], Ca[V(HIDPA)2] (synthetic amavadine), Ca[V(HIDA)2], or [Bu4N]2[V(HIDA)2] [HIDPA, HIDA = basic form of 2,2'-(hydroxyimino)dipropionic or -diacetic acid, respectively], [VO(CF3SO3)2], Ba[VO(nta)(H2O)]2 (nta = nitrilotriacetate), [VO(ada)(H2O)] (ada = N-2-acetamidoiminodiacetate), [VO(Hheida)(H2O)] (Hheida = 2-hydroxyethyliminodiacetate), [VO(bicine)] [bicine = basic form of N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine], and [VO(dipic)(OCH2CH3)] (dipic = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate), are catalyst precursors for the efficient single-pot conversion of methane into acetic acid, in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) under moderate conditions, using peroxodisulfate as oxidant. Effects on the yields and TONs of various factors are reported. TFA acts as a carbonylating agent and CO is an inhibitor for some systems, although for others there is an optimum CO pressure. The most effective catalysts (as amavadine) bear triethanolaminate or (hydroxyimino)dicarboxylates and lead, in a single batch, to CH3COOH yields > 50% (based on CH4) or remarkably high TONs up to 5.6 x 103. The catalyst can remain active upon multiple recycling of its solution. Carboxylation proceeds via free radical mechanisms (CH3* can be trapped by CBrCl3), and theoretical calculations disclose a particularly favorable process involving the sequential formation of CH3*, CH3CO*, and CH3COO* which, upon H-abstraction (from TFA or CH4), yields acetic acid. The CH3COO* radical is formed by oxygenation of CH3CO* by a peroxo-V complex via a V{eta1-OOC(O)CH3} intermediate. Less favorable processes involve the oxidation of CH3CO* by the protonated (hydroperoxo) form of that peroxo-V complex or by peroxodisulfate. The calculations also indicate that (i) peroxodisulfate behaves as a source of sulfate radicals which are methane H-abstractors, as a peroxidative and oxidizing agent for vanadium, and as an oxidizing and coupling agent for CH3CO* and that (ii) TFA is involved in the formation of CH3COOH (by carbonylating CH3*, acting as an H-source to CH3COO*, and enhancing on protonation the oxidizing power of a peroxo-VV complex) and of CF3COOCH3 (minor product in the absence of CO).