The influence of the shape of Au nanoparticles on the catalytic current of fructose dehydrogenase

Graphite electrodes were modified with triangular (AuNTrs) or spherical (AuNPs) nanoparticles and further modified with fructose dehydrogenase (FDH). The present study reports the effect of the shape of these nanoparticles (NPs) on the catalytic current of immobilized FDH pointing out the different contributions on the mass transfer–limited and kinetically limited currents. The influence of the shape of the NPs on the mass transfer–limited and the kinetically limited current has been proved by using two different methods: a rotating disk electrode (RDE) and an electrode mounted in a wall jet flow-through electrochemical cell attached to a flow system. The advantages of using the wall jet flow system compared with the RDE system for kinetic investigations are as follows: no need to account for substrate consumption, especially in the case of desorption of enzyme, and studies of product-inhibited enzymes. The comparison reveals that virtually identical results can be obtained using either of the two techniques. The heterogeneous electron transfer (ET) rate constants (k_S) were found to be 3.8 ± 0.3 s⁻¹ and 0.9 ± 0.1 s⁻¹, for triangular and spherical NPs, respectively. The improvement observed for the electrode modified with AuNTrs suggests a more effective enzyme-NP interaction, which can allocate a higher number of enzyme molecules on the electrode surface.

The shape of gold nanoparticles has a crucial effect on the catalytic current related to the oxidation of D-(-)-fructose to 5-keto-D-(-)-fructose occurring at the FDH-modified electrode surface. In particular, AuNTrs have a higher effect compared with the spherical one.

     

Blue myoglobin reconstituted with an iron porphycene shows extremely high oxygen affinity

Myoglobin will be a good scaffold for engineering a function into proteins. To modulate the physiological function of myoglobin, almost all approaches have been demonstrated by site-directed mutagenesis, however, there are few studies which show a significant improvement in the function. In contrast, we focused on the replacement of heme in the protein with an artificial prosthetic group. Recently, we prepared a novel myoglobin reconstituted with an iron porphycene as a structural isomer of mesoheme. The bluish colored reconstituted myoglobin is relatively stable and the deoxymyoglobin reversibly binds ligands. Interestingly, the O2 affinity of the reconstituted myoglobin, 1.1 x 109 M-1, is a significant 1,400-fold higher than that of the native myoglobin. Furthermore, the unfavorable autoxidation kinetics show 7-fold decrease in rate for the reconstituted myoglobin relative to the native myoglobin, indicating the stable oxy-form against autoxidation. The net results come from the slow dissociation of the O2 ligand in the reconstituted myoglobin, koff = 0.11 s-1, because of the formation of strong hydrogen bond between His64 and negatively charged dioxygen. The present study indicates that the replacement of native heme with an artificially created prosthetic group will give us a unique function into a hemoprotein.     

La luminescence différée du styrène en solution vitreuse dans le méthylcyclohexane

The trapping of electrons and styrene cations and anions has been studied in a methylcyclohexane glass by the techniques of deferred luminescence. Radiothermoluminescence curves consist of two peaks, at 90 and 95°K, in this matrix. The second peak increases linearly with styrene concentration up to 2 × 10^?2M when it reaches a constant value, whereas the first peak increases from 10^?4 to 10^?3M and then decreases at higher concentrations and is not discernible at concentrations above 10^?2M. We propose two mechanisms which are qualitatively consistent with this behavior and are based essentially on the recombination of styrene cations with thermally detrapped electrons in the first peak and with anions in the second peak. Photothermoluminescence (i.e., thermoluminescence after photoionization with ultraviolet light) similarly consists of the 90 and 95°K peaks for a 10^?3M solution and of the 95° peak alone for a 10^?d M solution. Radiophotoluminescence excitation spectra at 77°K, corresponding to absorption spectra of trapped electrons and styrene anions, show that anions are the predominant negative species in 10^?2 molar solution, and trapped electrons in 10^?3 molar solution. Spectral analysis of radiothermoluminescenece shows the presence of two emission bands, one of which is identical with styrene fluorescence excited by the 254 Nm mercury line (λ_max = 292, 302, 307, and 317 Nm). The other band has three fairly poorly resolved maxima at 474, 486 and 496 nm and seems to correspond to the fluorescence of C₆H₅?H-CH₃ radicals formed during radiolysis.     

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH3OH laser for plasma diagnostics

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH₃OH laser has been constructed for use in plasma diagnostics. The antisymmetric doublet due to the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is reproducibly observed at 118.8 m. With the 118.8-m line, it is obtained from the frequency separation of the anti-symmetric doublet that CH₃OH absorption line center is 16±1 MHz higher than the pump 9.7-m P(36) CO₂ laser line center. It is shown that the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is useful in order to get several-MHz phase modulation for the far-infrared laser interferometer. Some preliminary performances of this twin laser for the modulated interferometer are described.This work was carried out under the collaborating research program at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464, Japan.     

31P{1H}-n.m.r. as a tool for identification of ruthenium isomers containing PPh3 or 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane ligands. X-ray structures of the cis-{RuCl2(PPh3)2 [4,4′-(-X)2-2,2′-bipy]} complexes [X=-H, -Me, -SMe and (-Cl, -Me)]

A series of cis-{RuCl₂(PPh₃)₂[4,4-(X)₂-2,2-bipy]} [cis-chlorines; X=-H, -Me, -SMe, and (-Cl,-Me)] complexes have had their structures determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The geometry of these complexes, also determined in CH₂Cl₂ solution by ³¹P{¹H}-n.m.r. spectroscopy, showed that the chemical shifts for the phosphorus atoms are slightly dependent on the pKa of the 4,4-(-X)₂-2,2-bipy ligands.     

Cyclic polyvanadates incorporating template transition metal cationic species: synthesis and structures of hexavanadate [PdV6O18]4-, octavanadate [Cu2V8O24]4-, and decavanadate [Ni4V10O30(OH)2(H2O)6]4-

Three types of heteropolyvanadates, [(C2H5)4N]4[PdV6O18] (1), [(C2H5)4N]4[Cu2V8O24] (2), and [(C6H5)4P]4[Ni4V10O30(OH)2(H2O)6] (3), were synthesized through the reaction between the [VO3]- anion and metal template cations of Pd(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II). The X-ray crystal structures of 1 (a = 29.952(4) A, b = 12.911(2) A, and c = 13.678(2) A, orthorhombic, space group Pca2(1) with Z = 4), 2 (a = 13.740(1) A, b = 22.488(2) A, c = 18.505(2) A, and beta= 94.058(2) degrees , monoclinic, space group P2(1)/n with Z = 4), and 3 (a = 12.333(2) A, b = 16.208(4) A, c = 16.516(3) A, alpha = 112.438(3) degrees , beta = 94.735(3) degrees , and gamma = 104.749(3) degrees , triclinic, space group P with Z = 1) demonstrate that the metal cationic species induced cyclic [VO3](n-)n (n = 6, 8, 10) ring formation and the cations are incorporated in the rings themselves. In the metal inclusion products, the cyclic vanadates act as macrocyclic ligands, in which the metal cationic species act as the templates. The cyclic vanadate is composed of tetrahedral VO4 units that share corners and incorporates a metal cationic species in the center of the molecules. The bowl-shaped complex 1 includes a Pd2+ cation that is coordinated by the oxygen donors of a boatlike hexavanadate ring. The diamagnetic complex 1 was characterized via 51V and 17O NMR spectroscopy. Complex 2 involves an octavanadate ring and two Cu2+, which are located on both sides of the mean plane as defined by the eight oxygen atoms that bridge the vanadium atoms. In the case of complex 3, the di-mu-hydroxo-bridged Ni2+ dimer with capped Ni2+ aqua ions is formed by hydrolysis to form the decavanadate ring, in which two of the tetrahedral vanadate units are not bonded to the Ni2+ core but supported by hydrogen bonds through the aqua-ligand in the capped Ni2+ cation. Complexes 1-3 in solution were clearly identified by their characteristic isotope patterns using ESI-MS studies.     

Reaction of 3,4-disubstituted 1,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxides with dipolarophiles : Substituent and solvent effect on the reaction courses

A variety of symmetrically or unsymmetrically 3,4-disubstituttd furoxans such as dicyano, dialkyl, diacyl, bis(phenylsulfonyl), N.N'-dialkyldicarbamoyl, 3(or 4)-methyl-4(or -3)-phenyl(or nitro, ethoxy, phenoxy, phenylthio, pyrrolidinyl, phenylsulfonyl), 3(or 4)-ethyl-4(or -3)phcnyl, and 3(or 4)-ethoxy-4(or -3)-phenylsulfonylruroxan reacted with dipolarophiles in toluene or xylene at the refluxing temperature to give nitrone-type 1,3-dipolar cycloadducts, 5-substituted 1-aza-2,8-dioxabicyclo-[3.3.0]octanes and/or 3-substituted 2-isoxazoline 2-oxides. On the other hand, some of the furoxans gave 2-isoxazolines via nitrile oxide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition in a toluene (or xylene)-DMF solvent at the refluxing temperature.     

High enantioselectivity in rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation of 1-substituted 2-propenyl acetates

[reaction: see text] Rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of 1-substituted 2-propenyl acetates with dimethyl malonate proceeded with high enantioselectivity in the presence of cesium carbonate as a base and a rhodium catalyst generated from Rh(dpm)(C(2)H(4))(2) (dpm = dipivaloylmethanato) and a chiral phosphino-oxazoline whose basic skeleton is axially chiral binaphthyl to give branch alkylation products in greater than 90% ee.     

Noticeable facilitation of the bismuth-mediated Barbier-type allylation of aromatic carbonyl compounds under solvent-free conditions

When milled together with bismuth shot in the presence of allyl halide, aromatic aldehydes readily underwent a Barbier-type allylation to afford the corresponding homoallyl alcohols in good yield. In contrast to the failure in solution reaction, aromatic ketones also underwent allylic carbonyl addition under solvent-free conditions to give the expected tertiary homoallyl alcohols in moderate to good yield.     

Emission of 2-phenylethanol from its β-d-glucopyranoside and the biogenesis of these compounds from [H8] l-phenylalanine in rose flowers

The hydrolysis of 2-phenylethyl β-d-glucopyranoside (3) was found to be partially inhibited by feeding with 2-phenyl-N-glucosyl-acetamidiumbromide (8), a β-glucosidase inhibitor, resulting in a decrease in the diurnal emission of 2-phenylethanol (2) from Rosa damascena Mill. flowers. Detection of [1,1,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₈]-2 and [1,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₇]-2 from R. ‘Hoh-Jun’ flowers fed with [1,1,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₈]-3 suggested that β-glucosidase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and reductase might be involved in scent emission. Comprehensive GC-SIM analyses revealed that [1,2,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₈]-2 and [1,2,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₈]-3 must be biosynthesized from [1,2,2,2′,3′,4′,5′6′-²H₈] l-phenylalanine ([²H₈]-1) with a retention of the deuterium atom at α-position of [²H₈]-1.