Differences in the crystal structures of two dialkyl diester triphenyl­phospho­nium ylids

Hydrogen bonding and crystal packing play major roles in determining the conformations of ethyl methyl 2‐(triphenyl­phospho­ranyl­idene)malonate, Ph₃P=C(CO₂CH₃)CO₂CH₂CH₃ or C₂₄H₂₃O₄P, (I), and dimethyl 2‐(triphenyl­phosphor­anyl­idene)malonate, Ph₃P=C(CO₂CH₃)₂ or C₂₃H₂₁O₄P, (II). In (I), the acyl O atom of the ethyl ester group is anti to the P atom, while the O atom of the methyl ester group is syn. In (II), the dimethyl diester is a 1:1 mixture of anti–anti and syn–anti conformers.     

Magnetically trigged direct electrochemical detection of DNA hybridization using Au67 quantum dot as electrical tracer

A novel gold nanoparticle-based protocol for detection of DNA hybridization based on a magnetically trigged direct electrochemical detection of gold quantum dot tracers is described. It relies on binding target DNA (here called DNA1) with Au(67) quantum dot in a ratio 1:1, followed by a genomagnetic hybridization assay between Au(67)-DNA1 and complementary probe DNA (here called DNA2) marked paramagnetic beads. Differential pulse voltammetry is used for a direct voltammetric detection of resulting Au(67) quantum dot-DNA1/DNA2-paramagnetic bead conjugate on magnetic graphite-epoxy composite electrode. The characterization, optimization, and advantages of the direct electrochemical detection assay for target DNA are demonstrated. The two main highlights of presented assay are (1) the direct voltammetric detection of metal quantum dots obviates their chemical dissolution and (2) the Au(67) quantum dot-DNA1/DNA2-paramagnetic bead conjugate does not create the interconnected three-dimensional network of Au-DNA duplex-paramagnetic beads as previously developed nanoparticle DNA assays, pushing down the achievable detection limits.     

A topological equivalence result for a family of nonlinear difference systems having generalized exponential dichotomy

We obtain sufficient conditions ensuring the topological and strong topological equivalence of two perturbed difference systems whose linear part has a property of generalized exponential dichotomy. When the exponential dichotomy is verified, we obtain a strongly and Hölder topological equivalence.     

Synthesis of sibiricinone A, sibiricinone B and leoheterin

Two labdenolides, sibiricinone A and sibericinone B, and a furo-labdane leoheterin have been synthesized from sclareol, for the first time, establishing in this manner the absolute configuration for these compounds.     

Synthetic studies to highly functionalised B ring labdanes

Several 6,7-dioxygenated (cis or trans) labdanes have been synthesised starting from sclareol. A new strategy that allows the obtention of diols α-cis as well as β-cis or trans is described. In particular, the syntheses of three natural highly functionalised labdanes in the B rings of 2, 3 and 4 with different side chains are reported. The syntheses have permitted to correct the proposed structure for one of them.     

Rapid characterization of fatty alcohol ethoxylates by non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis

Fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAE) (a mixture of nonionic surfactants) have been characterized using NACE with UV detection. Phenyl polyurethane derivatives of these compounds were previously obtained by reaction with phenyl isocyanate. The derivatization reaction only requires microwave irradiation for 30 s (600 W). Phenyl polyurethanes were separated and characterized using a BGE containing a mixture of ammonium nitrate (15 mM), acetic acid (1.5%) and 9:1 v/v methanol/ACN. After optimization of the instrumental conditions for the separation, phenyl polyurethane compounds (formed from the corresponding FAE) with ethylene oxide numbers (EON) of 6 (certified standard and industrial samples), 7 and 10 (both as industrial samples), and 5.5 (microemulsion phase) were successfully separated and characterized. The properties of these FAE nonionic surfactants are very important in the petroleum industry, which requires characterization of the quality of the purchased materials as well as the final products in the microemulsion-oil-water stream process. This analytical objective has been achieved by the proposed NACE methods, allowing FAE to be distinguished from 5.5 to 10 EON with errors below 4%, and shows advantages against to HPLC methods.     

Lactase Production by Solid-state Cultivation of Kluyveromyces marxianus CDBBL 278 on an Inert Support: Effect of Inoculum, Buffer, and Nitrogen Source

A study was carried out to select the conditions for cultivation of Kluyveromyces marxianus CDBBL 278 in solid-state culture (SSC) using polyurethane foam (PUF) as an inert support. PUF was impregnated with culture media containing lactose (50 g/L) as the carbon and energy source. Evaluation of culture parameters during different growth phases was carried out by respirometry. The effect of inoculum level, buffer capacity of the medium, and nitrogen source upon the yield of biomass on lactose (Yx/s) and production of lactase and inulinase was investigated. The highest lactase titre was achieved with an inoculum level of 1 x 10(7) cells per gram of wet matter (gwm) and 20% of the total nitrogen source provided as urea. The best biomass yield (0.37) was obtained when less than 40% of the total nitrogen was provided as urea. Using potassium phosphate allowed 90% substrate consumption in 30 h. In the best conditions, intracellular lactase and extracellular inulinase activities of 1147.7 IU/gX and 241.6 IU/gX were obtained, respectively, with a lag phase of 13.8 h and a rate of respiratory activity (microCO2) of 0.23 +/- 0.01 h(-1). To our knowledge, this is the first report on lactase production by K. marxianus CDBBL 278 in SSC. This study gives basic information about biomass yield and enzyme production using lactose as the sole carbon source in SSC on an inert support.     

TBD-catalyzed α-sulfenylation of cyclic ketones: desymmetrization of 4-substituted cyclohexanones

A low loading of triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) catalyzes the α-sulfenylation reaction of ketones employing tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTDS) as electrophilic reagent. This methodology is mild, effective and straightforward, rendering the desired products in high yield. Prochiral 4-substituted cyclohexanones can be desymmetrized with remarkable diastereoselectivity following this protocol. The dithiocarbamoyl function was shown to be easily removed upon reduction, affording thiols (1-mercaptan-2-ols).     

Ethanol Production from the Organic Fraction Obtained After Thermal Pretreatment of Municipal Solid Waste

In this work, the use of organic fraction from municipal solid waste (MSW) as substrate for ethanol production based on enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated. MSW was subjected to a thermal pretreatment (active hygienization) at 160?°C from 5 to 50 min. The organic fiber obtained after 30 min was used as substrate in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and fed-batch SSF process using cellulases and amylases. In a fed-batch mode with 25% (w/w) substrate loading, final ethanol concentration of 30 g/L was achieved (60% of theoretical). In these conditions, more than 160 L of ethanol per ton of dry matter could be produced from the organic fraction of MSW.     

Dose effects on the long persistent luminescence properties of beta irradiated SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphor

The SrAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ is a phosphor characterized by a long persistent luminescence (PLUM) when it is excited with UV–VIS light and ionizing radiation. In this paper, we study the PLUM behavior as a function of beta irradiation dose in the 0–650 Gy range with a fixed dose rate of 5 Gy/min. The PLUM intensity showed a complex decay behavior, exhibiting a near linear response in the 0–1.7 Gy low dose range and gradually increasing up to 160 Gy. The PLUM reached the saturation for higher doses (>275 Gy) with a slight decrease in the range of 300–650 Gy. In addition, a systematic PLUM enhancement was produced after a thermal cleaning procedure and irradiation at RT in a series of 10 cycles. The observed phenomenon may be related to a radiation-induced process of charge trapping accumulation, which is triggered by thermal stimulation during the irradiation stage. It improves the luminescent characteristics of SrAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ phosphors rendering them suitable for permanent display and illumination devices.