Enzymes immobilized on montmorillonite: comparison of performance in batch and packed-bed reactors

Summary The enzymes a-amylase, invertase and glucoamylase were immobilized on acid activated montmorillonite using two techniques, viz. adsorption and covalent binding, and their activities were tested in a batch and packed-bed reactor and were compared. The packed-bed reactor showed an improved performance for all immobilized enzymes, which was attributed to lowering of diffusional restrictions to mass transfer. Lower activity in case of batch reactor for immobilized invertase was due to a combined effect of loss of native conformation of enzyme on account of immobilization and mass transfer resistances due to improper diffusion of substrate to the active site of enzyme. For immobilized glucoamylase, the packed-bed reactor demonstrated exceptionally high activity that was very close to the free enzyme. Covalently bound glucoamylase showed higher activity than the free enzyme.     

Amorphous Fe–Mg alloy thin films: magnetic properties and atomic vibrational dynamics

Amorphous (a-) Fe _x Mg_1?x alloys are interesting materials for the investigation of non-Debye-like low-energy vibrational excitations. We have prepared a-Fe _x Mg_1?x alloy thin films (0.3 ≤ × ≤0.7) by vapour quenching. The amorphous state was confirmed by conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy between 4.2–300 K, and the x- and temperature-dependence of the isomer shift and hyperfine magnetic field was measured. For x= 0.6 and 0.7, magnetic ordering occurs below ~150 K. The atomic vibrational density of states, g(E), was determined by nuclear resonant inelastic scattering, providing clear evidence for the non-Debye-like low-energy vibrational excitations.     

On the absolute matrix summability of Fourier series and some associated series

The object of the paper is to study the absolute matrix summability problem of Fourier series, conjugate series and some associated series under a new set of conditions on matrix methods, generalising many known results in the literature.     

Manifestation of diamagnetic chemical shifts of proton NMR signals by an anisotropic shielding effect of nitrate anions

A remarkable upfield shift of the py_α protons of complexed 2,2′-bipyridine in [cis-Pd(bpy)(NO₃)₂] is observed which is considered to originate from the anisotropic influence of suitably positioned coordinated nitrate anions around the Pd(II) centre of the molecule. A typical complexation-induced downfield shift is observed for the NH₂ protons in [cis-Pd(en)(NO₃)₂] where ‘en’ stands for ethylenediamine.     

Alkenyl- and aryl[2-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl]dimethylsilanes: an entry to tetraorganosilicon reagents for the silicon-based cross-coupling reaction

Alkenyl- and aryl[2-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl]dimethylsilanes, highly stable tetraorganosilicon reagents, are found to react with aryl and alkenyl iodides in the presence of a palladium catalyst and K2CO3 as a base, significantly milder conditions compared with those ever reported for the silicon-based cross-coupling reactions. The reaction tolerates a wide range of functional groups, including silyl protectors, and allows a gram-scale synthesis to recover and reuse the silicon residue.     

Gold nanoshells on polystyrene cores for control of surface plasmon resonance

A method is presented for synthesizing core-shell structures consisting of monodisperse polystyrene latex nanospheres as cores and gold nanoparticles as shells. Use of polystyrene spheres as the core in these structures is advantageous because they are readily available commercially in a wide range of sizes, and with dyes or other molecules doped into them. Gold nanoparticles, ranging in size from 1 to 20 nm, are prepared by reduction of a gold precursor with sodium citrate or tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride (THPC). Carboxylate-terminated polystyrene spheres are functionalized with 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride (AET), which forms a peptide bond with carboxylic acid groups on their surface, resulting in a thiol-terminated surface. Gold nanoparticles then bind to the thiol groups to provide up to about 50% coverage of the surface. These nanoparticles serve as seeds for growth of a continuous gold shell by reduction of additional gold precursor. The shell thickness and roughness can be controlled by the size of the nanoparticle seeds as well as by the process of their growth into a continuous shell. By variation of the relative sizes of the latex core and the thickness of the gold overlayer, the plasmon resonance of the nanoshell can be tuned to specific wavelengths across the visible and infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, for applications ranging from the construction of photonic crystals to biophotonics. The position and width of the plasmon resonance extinction peak are well-predicted by extended Mie scattering theory.     

Studies on alkaline protease produced by Bacillus sp. NG312

An alkalophilic hyperproducer of alkaline protease, Bacillus sp. NG312, was isolated, and the enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 11.0 and 60°C. The temperature optimum was increased by 10°C in presence of Ca²⁺. The crudeenzyme was found to have half-life of 11 d at 37°C and maximum stability at pH 9.0–10.0. It also exhibited very good stability in presence of detergent components and some locally available commericial detergent powders.     

3 + 2]-cycloaddition of nonstabilized azomethine ylides. 10. An efficient strategy for the construction of x-Azatricyclo[m.n.0. 0

Various new structural entities related to x-azatricyclo[m.n.0. 0(a)()(,)(b)()]alkanes are constructed by the intramolecular [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition of nonstabilized cyclic azomethine ylides. The ylide is generated by the sequential double desilylation of N-alkyl alpha,alpha'-bis(trimethylsilyl)cyclic amines using Ag(I)F as a one-electron oxidant.     

On the stereochemistry of photoaddition between α,β-unsaturated ketones and olefins—II

Some years ago an empirical rule, which allows the prediction of product stereochemistry in cis-photocycloaddition reactions of α,β-unsaturated ketones and olefins was tentatively proposed. Several additional examples, both selected from the literature and synthesized in our laboratory, seem to strengthen the validity of the rule.