A Biosilification Fusion Protein for a ‘Self‐immobilising’ Sarcosine Oxidase Amperometric Enzyme Biosensor

Monomeric sarcosine oxidase (mSOx) fusion with the silaffin peptide, R5, designed previously for easy protein production in low resource areas, was used in a biosilification process to form an enzyme layer electrode biosensor. mSOx is a low activity enzyme (10–20 U/mg) requiring high amounts of enzyme to obtain an amperometric biosensor signal, in the clinically useful range <1 mM sarcosine, especially since the K_m is >10 mM. An amperometric biosensor model was fitted to experimental data to investigate dynamic range. mSOx constructs were designed with 6H (6×histidine) and R5 (silaffin) peptide tags and compared with native mSOx. Glutaraldehyde (GA) cross‐linked proteins retained ～5 % activity for mSOx and mSOx‐6H and only 0.5 % for mSOx‐R5. In contrast R5 catalysed biosilification on (3‐mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) particles created a ‘self‐immobilisation’ matrix retaining 40 % and 76 % activity respectively. The TMOS matrix produced a thick layer (>500 μm) on a glassy carbon electrode with a mediated current due to sarcosine in the clinical range for sarcosinemia (0–1 mM). The mSOx‐R5 fusion protein was also used to catalyse biosilification in the presence of creatinase and creatininase, entrapping all three enzymes. A mediated GC enzyme linked current was obtained with dynamic range available for creatinine determination of 0.1–2 mM for an enzyme layer ～800 nm.     

Comparative study on transport properties of N-, P-, and As-doped SiC nanowires: Calculated based on first principles

According to the one-dimensional quantum state distribution, carrier scattering, and fixed range hopping model, the structural stability and electron transport properties of N-, P-, and As-doped SiC nanowires(N-SiCNWs, P-SiCNWs, and As-SiCNWs) are simulated by using the first principles calculations. The results show that the lattice structure of NSiCNWs is the most stable in the lattice structures of the above three kinds of doped SiCNWs. At room temperature,for unpassivated SiCNWs, the doping effect of P and As are better than that of N. After passivation, the conductivities of all doped SiCNWs increase by approximately two orders of magnitude. The N-SiCNW has the lowest conductivity. In addition, the N-, P-, As-doped SiCNWs before and after passivation have the same conductivity–temperature characteristics,that is, above room temperature, the conductivity values of the doped SiCNWs all increase with temperature increasing.These results contribute to the electronic application of nanodevices.     

Synthesis,spectroscopic studies,thermal analyses,biological activity of tridentate-coordinated transition-metal complexes [M(L)X2] and crystal structure of [ZnBr2(2,6-bis(tert-butylthiomethyl)pyridine)]

A new terdentate acyclic pincer ligand, 2,6-bis(tert-butylthiomethyl)pyridine (tbtmp), was synthesized and reacted with several complexes of iron, zinc, nickel, cobalt, and copper. The ligand and its coordination compounds were characterized using elemental analysis, infrared, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR-spectroscopy, thermal analyses, plus—for the Zn complex—single-crystal X-ray diffractometry. The structure of [Zn(L)Br₂] was solved in the tetragonal crystal system, chiral space groups P4₁2₁2 and P4₃2₁2 (No. 92 and No. 96, a = 947.2(1) pm, c = 2265.2(5) pm), revealing five-fold coordination of the metal atoms. According to spectroscopy, all complexes share the same coordination environment around the metal atoms, consisting of two halide anions and a sulfur-methylene-pyridine-methylene-sulfur entity; tbtmp acts as a tridentate ligand with the pyridine N atom and both tert-butylthio S atoms coordinating to the metal ions (NS2). The analysis results indicate that the metal ions are coordinated as distorted pseudo-bipyramids, LMX₂, with the chelate ligand meridionally arranged. One of the complexes contains ethanol as an additional ligand, resulting in a pseudo-octahedral coordination sphere [Ni(L)Cl₂EtOH]. The latter was obtained in the form of green crystals, which turn into a red powder with loss of the ethanol molecule. Fe (III), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) metal complexes [M(L)Cl₂] were screened for their antibacterial activity against B. subtilis G(+) and Escherichia coli G(−) bacteria, and fungus (Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus).     

Response surface methodology toward the optimization of high-energy carotenoid extraction from Aristeus antennatus shrimp

High-energy assisted extraction techniques, like ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave assisted extraction (MAE), are widely applied over the last years for the recovery of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, antioxidants and phenols from foods, animals and herbal natural sources. Especially for the case of xanthophylls, the main carotenoid group of crustaceans, they can be extracted in a rapid and quantitative way with the use of UAE and MAE.     

Synthesis and radical polymerization of methacrylate endowed with bicyclobis(γ‐butyrolactone) moiety through methylene linker

A series of methacrylates bearing bicyclobis(γ‐butyrolactone) (BBL) moiety were synthesized and radically polymerized to afford the corresponding poly(methacrylate)s bearing BBL moiety in the side chain, with expecting that the high polarity and rigidity of BBL would be inherited by the polymers. The resulting polymers were soluble in polar aprotic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide and N,N‐dimethylformamide because of the high polarity of the BBL moiety. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the polymers depended on the length of methylene linker that tethered the methacrylate and BBL moieties, making the use of shorter linkers lead to higher T_gs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2462–2468     

New Phenomena in Organometallic‐Mediated Radical Polymerization (OMRP) and Perspectives for Control of Less Active Monomers

The impact of reversible bond formation between a growing radical chain and a metal complex (organometallic‐mediated radical polymerization (OMRP) equilibrium) to generate an organometallic intermediate/dormant species is analyzed with emphasis on the interplay between this and other one‐electron processes involving the metal complex, which include halogen transfer in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), hydrogen‐atom transfer in catalytic chain transfer (CCT), and catalytic radical termination (CRT). The challenges facing the controlled polymerization of “less active monomers” (LAMs) are outlined and, after reviewing the recent achievements of OMRP in this area, the perspectives of this technique are analyzed.     

From single‐chain folding to polymer nanoparticles via intramolecular quadruple hydrogen‐bonding interaction

Single‐chain folding via intramolecular noncovalent interaction is regarded as a facile mimicry of biomacromolecules. Single‐chain folding and intramolecular crosslinking is also an effective method to prepare polymer nanoparticles. In this study, poly(methyl methacrylate‐co?2‐ureido‐5‐deazapterines functionalized ethylene methacrylate) (P(MMA‐co‐EMA‐DeAP)) is synthesized via free radical polymerization. The single‐chain folding of P(MMA‐co‐EMA‐DeAP) and the formation of the nanoparticles in diluted solution (concentration <0.005 mg/mL) are achieved via supramolecular interaction and intramolecular collapsing during the disruption‐reformation process of the hydrogen bonding triggered by water. The size and the morphology of the nanoparticles are characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscope, and atomic force microscope. The results show that the size of the nanoparticles depends on the molecular weight of the polymer and the loading of 2‐ureido‐5‐deazapterines functionalized ethylene methacrylate (EMA‐DeAP) on the polymer backbone. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1832–1840     

Mechanism of Insertion Reactions between Silylenoid H2SiLiF and GeH3R (R =F,OH, NH2): a Theoretical Study

Theoretical investigations on the insertion reaction mechanisms of three- membered-ring silylenoid H2 Si Li F with GeH 3R(R = F, OH, NH2) have been systematically carried out by combined density functional theory(DFT) and ab initio quantum chemical calculations. The geometries of all stationary points for these reactions were optimized using the B3 LYP method and then the QCISD method was used to calculate the single-point energies. The calculated results indicate that, there are one precursor complex(Q), one transition state(TS), and one intermediate(IM) which connect the reactants and the products along the potential energy surface. The insertion reactions of three-membered-ring silylenoid with Ge H3 R proceed in a concerted manner, forming H2RSi-Ge H3 and Li F. The calculated potential energy barriers of the three reactions are 29.17, 30.90, and 54.07 k J/mol, and the reaction energies for the three reactions are –127.05, –116.91, and –103.31 k J/mol, respectively. The insertion reactions in solvents are similar to those in vacuum. Under the same situation, the insertion reactions should occur easily in the following order: GeH 3-F GeH 3-OH GeH 3-NH2. The elucidations of the mechanism of these insertion reactions provided a new mode of silicon-germanium bond formation.     

Chain transfer to solvent in BN 2-vinylnaphthalene radical polymerization

The synthesis of vinyl alcohol copolymers is limited due to the poor radical reactivity of vinyl acetate (VAc), the traditional precursor to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Main group monomers such as BN 2-vinylnaphthalene (BN2VN) have attracted attention as alternatives to VAc to form side chain hydroxyls via oxidation, but outstanding questions of molecular weight control remain. Herein we report systematic investigation of solvent, temperature, and initiator concentration as factors influencing BN2VN degree of polymerization. We find increased chain transfer to toluene, hypothesized to arise from differences in radical stabilization and reactivity by aromatic and BN aromatic rings. As a result of these combined efforts, high molecular weight (M_w ~ 10⁵ g mol⁻¹) BN2VN homopolymers and BN2VN-styrene copolymers were obtained.