Purification and Characterization of Cold-active α-Amylase Excreted by A Strain of Marine Cold-adaptive Penicillia

The filamentous fungi from the Huanghai sea sludge were screened according to their ability to produce cold-active α-amylase. The strain with the highest amylase activity was identified as Penicillium species. The α-amylase purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and column chromatography on DEAE-sepharose and sephadex G-100 shows a molecular weight of about 55000 and a pI of 4.38. The enzyme is stable in a pH range of 5.5-8.0 and has a maximum activity at pH 6.0. Compared with the α-amylase from mesophiles and thermophiles, the cold-active enzyme shows a high enzyme activity at lower temperatures and a high sensitivity at temperatures higher than 50 ℃. The optimal temperature is 40 ℃ and the activity decreases dramatically at temperatures above 50 ℃. Ca2 shows a significant effect on maintaining the structure and the activity of the enzyme. EDTA and Cu2 are its inhibitors. The products from the hydrolysis of soluble starch with the cold-active enzyme are maltose and other oligosaccharides.     

Influence of Pretreatment on the Interaction of Oxygen with Silver and the Catalytic Activity of Ag／SiO2 Catalysts for CO Selective Oxidation in H2

The interactions of oxygen with pre~reduced silver catalysts as well as their catalytic propertiesfor CO selective oxidation in H2 after oxygen pre-treatment are studied in this paper. It is found that the pretreatment exerts a strong influence on the activity and selectivity of the silver catalyst. A drop in activity and selectivity is observed after treating a pre-reduced catalyst with oxygen at low temperatures,whereas a converse result is obtained after an oxidizing treatment at high temperatures (T≥350℃). O2-TPD results show that surface oxygen species adsorbs on silver surface after the oxygen treatment at low temperatures. However, penetration of oxygen into the silver is enhanced by a high temperature treatment, meanwhile the surface oxygen species disappear. No other silver species except metallic silver are observed on all the catalysts by XRD, and the size of silver particle is not changed after the treatment with oxygen at low temperatures. The surface oxygen species formed by oxygen treatment can also be removed by hydrogen reduction. The strongly-adsorbed surface oxygen species prohibit the adsorption and diffusion of oxygen species in reaction gas on the surface of silver catalyst, causing the decrease in CO oxidation activity, in other words, it is important to obtain a clean silver surface for increasing the catalyst activity in CO removal from H2-rich feed gas. The differences in activity and selectivity due to the oxygen pretreatment at different temperatures axe discussed in terms of the changes in the surface/subsurface oxygen species of the silver particles.     

Comparison Between Catalytic Activity and Activity Changes During Denaturation by Guanidine Hydrochloride of Enzymes in Crystalline State and in Solution

The catalytic activity and activity changes during denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase,lactate dehydrogenase and α-chymotrypsin in crystalline state and in solution have been compared.The catalytic activities are lower in crystalline state than in solution. Enzymes in crystalline state are more stable than in solution during denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride.Ammonium sulfate has different effects on catalytic activities of different enzymes and shows protection on all enzymes studied during denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride.The protection is more obvious at high concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride than at low concentrations.It is suggested that the flexibility or mobility of enzyme is required for the catalytic activity and related to the stability of enzymes. Enzymes with less flexibility or mobility are more stable.     

Simultaneous Removal of COS and H2S at Low Temperatures over Nanoparticle α-FeOOH Based Catalysts

Catalysts using α-FeOOH nanoparticles as the active ingredient were tested by a microreactorchromatography assessing apparatus at atmospheric pressure between 25 and 60℃ with a gas hourly space velocity of 10,000h^-1,while the removal performance of H2S with catalysts was investigated using the thermal gravimetric method.The results show that the catalysts are highly active for COS hydrolysis at low temperatures(≤℃）and high gas hourly space velocity,and the highest activity can reach 100%.The catalyst is particularly stable for 12h,and no deactivation is observed.Nanoparticle α-FeOOH prepared using hydrated iron sulfate shows higher COS hydrolysis activity,and the optimum calcination temperature for the catalyst is 260℃.In addition,the catalysts can remove COS and H2S simultaneously,and 60℃ is favorable for the removal of H2S.The compensation effect exists in nanoparticle-based catalysts.     

Preparation, Characterization and Application of ZnAlLa-Hydrotalcite-Like Compounds

The preparation of ZnAlLa-hydrotalcite-like compounds [ZnAlLa-HTLcs] was studied.ZnAlLa-HTLcs were synthesized by a method of variable pH with the raw materials of Zn(NO3)2.Al(NO3)3, La(NO3)3, and NaOH. The effects of some factors (i.e. pH values, the mole ratio of Al^3- to La^3-.temperature and the period of hydrothermal treatment) on the preparation of HTLcs were discussed systematically. XRD. TG-DTA. FT-IR spectroscopy, and ICP were performed to characterize ZnAlLa-HTLcs samples, and the thermal stability of HTLcs was also discussed. It was shown that unique ZnAlLa-HTLcs with high crystallinity can be prepared, under the conditions of pH=5.5-6.5. n(Zn^2 )/n(Al^3 La^3 )=2 and the atomic ratio of La^3 to Al^3 ranging from 0.07 to 2. hydrothermal treatment at 120℃ for 5 h. When the calcination of the HTLcs is performed at temperatures above 200℃. ZnO phase is detected with Al2O3 and La2O3 spreading on its top. The complex metal oxides derived from ZnAlLa-HTLcs at 500℃ have higher catalytic activity and selectivity than those from ZnAl-HTLcs for the esterification of acetic acid with n-butanol under the same reaction conditions.     

PROPERTIES OF CHICKEN LIVER PHOSPHOFRUCTOKINASE-2

Phosphofructokinase-2 was purified to homogeneity from chicken livers by homogeniza-tion, polyethylene glycol fractionation and column chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and Blue-Sepharose 4B. Some properties of the enzyme were as follows: (i) The saturation curve of the enzyme for fructose 6-phosphate showed hyperbolic and the Km of fructose 6-phosphate was affected by inorganic phosphate while Vmax was not; (ii) the binding of ATP to the enzyme was of negative cooperativity with a Hill coefficient of 0.56; (iii) the activity of the enzyme was completely lost in the presence of EDTA. The enzyme was activated by Mg2+ at low concentrations, but inhibited by Mg2+ at high concentrations; (iv) the enzyme was stable below 30℃ and easily lost its activity when the temperature was above 40℃; (v) the activity of the enzyme was stable at the range of pH 7-9, increased at pH 9.0-9.5 and decreased when pH was over 9.5; (vi) the enzyme was sensitive to trypsin and ATP protected the enzyme against the proteolysi     

NO-NH_3-O_2 reaction catalyzed by V_2O_5/AC at low temperatures——Effects of SO_2, V_2O_5 loading and reaction temperature

The effects of SO2, V2O5 loading and reaction temperature on the activity of activated carbon supported vanadium oxide catalyst have been studied for the reduction of NO with NH3 at low temperatures (150-250℃). It is found that SO2 significantly promotes the catalyst activity. Both V2O5 loading and reaction temperature are vital to the promoting effect of SO2. The catalysts with V2O5 loadings of 1 -5 weight percent have a positive effect on the promotion of SO2, while the catalysts with V2O5 loadings of above 7 weight percent have not such an effect or show a negative effect. At lower temperatures (<180℃) SO2 poisons the catalyst but at higher temperatures promotes it. The reason of the SO2 promotion was also discussed; it may results from the formation of SO42- on the catalyst surface, which increases the surface acidity and hence the catalytic activity.     

Immobilization and Properties of Lipase from Candida rugosa on Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes with Biomimetic Phospholipid Moities

Reported here is a protocol to fabricate a biocatalyst with high enzyme loading and activity retention, from the conjugation of electrospun nanofibrous membrane having biomimetic phospholipid moiety and lipase. To improve the catalytic efficiency and activity of the immobilized enzyme, poly（acrylonitrile-co-2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine）s（PANCMPCs） were, respectively, electrospun into nanofibrous membranes with a mean diameter of 90 nm, as a support for enzyme immobilization. Lipase from Candida rugosa was immobilized on these nanofibrous membranes by adsorption. Properties of immobilized lipase on PANCMPC nanofibrous membranes were compared with those of the lipase immobilized on the polyacrylonitrile（PAN） nanofibrous and sheet membranes, respectively. Effective enzyme loading on the nanofibrous membranes was achieved up to 22.0 mg/g, which was over 10 times that on the sheet membrane. The activity retention of immobilized lipase increased from 56.4% to 76.8% with an increase in phospholipid moiety from 0 to 9.6%（molar fraction） in the nanofibrous membrane. Kinetic parameter Km was also determined for free and immobilized lipase. The Km value of the immobilized lipase on the nanofibrous membrane was obviously lower than that on the sheet membrane. The optimum pH was 7.7 for free lipase, but shifted to 8.3-8.5 for immobilized lipases. The optimum temperature was determined to be 35 ℃ for the free enzyme, but 42-44℃ for the immobilized ones, respectively. In addition, the thermal stability, reusability, and storage stability of the immobilized lipase were obviously improved compared to the free one.     

STUDIES ON THE RNA POLYMERASES FROM THE CELL NUCLEI OF VICIA FABA L.LEAVES

Isolated cell nuclei from young leaves of Vicia faba L. have a high level of RNA polymorose activity and can serve as a good source for purification of higher plant RNA polymerases. The nuclei were lysed in a solution of high (NH_4)_2SO_4 concentration and the lysate was subjected to sonication to liberate RNA polymerases, which then were fractionated on DEAE-cellulose and DEAE-Sephadex columns. Three enzyme peaks were detected in the eluate fractions. According to their sensitivity to α-amanitin they are the RNA polymerases Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ. Divalent cation Mn or Mg is essential for the enzyme activity. The Mn optimum concentration is 3mM and the Mg optimum concentration is 5mM for the RNA polymerases Ⅰ and Ⅱ. Calf thymus DNA and the DNA of Vicia faba have equal efficiency as template for RNA synthesis by these enzymes.     

Effect of Reaction Temperature and Pressure on the Metathesis Reaction between Ethene and 2-Butene to Propene on the WO3/Al2O3-HY Catalyst

Effect of reaction temperature and pressure on the metathesis reaction between ethene and 2-butene to propene was studied on the WO3/γ-Al2O3-HY catalyst. The activity is found to increase with elevated temperature and reaches a plateau at 150-240℃. After that, the activity undergoes a remarkable decrement at too high temperature. The effect of temperature is elucidated by the oxidation state of tungsten species. The evaluation results also indicate that the stability is dependent on this reaction parameter. Medium pressure (0.5-0.8 MPa) is favorable for stability, while atmospheric pressure or too high pressure (>1.0 MPa) deteriorates the stability. For explanation, UV Vis, FT-IR, O2-TPO, and TG techniques are used to characterize the spent catalysts.     

Kinetics of Catalytic Hydrolysis of Potato Starch by Immobilized β-Amylase

The enzyme activity of immobilized β-amylase carried on active carbon and the reaction kinetics for hydrolysis of potatostarch catalyzed by the enzyme have been investigated. A kinetics model based on the overall reaction has been suggested and a reaction coefficient as a new parameter introduced. All of the kinetics parameters involved in the model, including the reaction coefficient, reaction order rate constant as well as the maximum reaction rate etc. at different temperatures have been obtained by using the modified Quasi-Newton optimization technique.     

Oligomerization and Polymerization of Ethylene Initiated by a Novel Ni（II）-Based Acetyliminopyridine Complexes as Single-Site Catalysts

Novel Ni(II)-based acetyliminopyridine complexes 1b, 2b, 3b (1-3b), which are synthesized from ligands 1a, 2a, 3a (1-3a) and [NiCl2(DME)], are suitable precursors for the catalysts that are neces- sary for ethylene oligomerization and polymerization reactions, activated by methylaluminoxane (MAO). The MAO-treated 1-3b presents an active catalytic center, which may oligomerize and polymerize ethylene to produce linear α-olefins and polyethylene, respectively. The molecular weight distributions of oligomers that are obtained are in good agreement with the Schulz-Flory rules for oligomers>C4. The activity of 3b-MAO complex is 6.3E7 g/(molNi·h) at 50 ℃. The activities and molecular weight distributions of oligomers show significant reliance on the structures of catalyst precursors.     

Evolution of Gold Species in an Au/CeO2 Catalyst and Its Impact on Activity for CO Oxidation

An Au/ceria(0.44%, mass fraction) catalyst containing gold ions was prepared by a modified deposition precipitation method, and the evolution of gold ions in the catalyst and its influence on the catalysis of CO oxidation were investigated. It was found that the as-prepared catalyst containing gold ions with high valence could fully oxidize CO at –10 °C initially but was deactivated gradually at low temperatures during the reaction with CO or treatment by unpurified air. The deactivation of the catalyst during CO oxidation or treatment of it by unpurified air was independent and progressive at low temperatures while the activity of the catalyst at relatively high temperatures was maintained well. During the reaction with CO or treatment by unpurified air, the XPS results indicate that gold species evolved from high valence to low valence and the diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectra show that high valence gold was reduced to charged gold clusters, gold clusters grew to small gold crystals and small gold crystals grew to large gold particles. Accordingly, the high valence gold corresponded to the activity at low temperatures and the metallic gold was active and relatively stable at high temperatures. The turnover frequencies(TOF) of the catalysts treated by different methods at 273 K decreased with the evolution of gold species from high valence to low valence, no maximum of TOF was observed although gold particles in the catalyst attained to about 2―3 nm during the treatment. An Au/ceria catalyst with a gold load of 0.87% (mass fraction) maintained a good activity for CO oxidation within 18 h at room temperature. The catalysts were characterized via transmitted electronic microscopy(TEM), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry(ICP-OES), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and BET specific surface area and UV-Vis DRS as well.     

Simultaneous Removal of COS and H_2S at Low Temperatures over Nanoparticle a-FeOOH Based Catalysts

Catalysts using a-FeOOH nanoparticles as the active ingredient were tested by a microreactor-chromatography assessing apparatus at atmospheric pressure between 25 and 60C with a gas hourly space velocity of 10,000 h-1, while the removal performance of H2S with catalysts was investigated using the thermal gravimetric method. The results show that the catalysts are highly active for COS hydrolysis at low temperatures (<60C) and high gas hourly space velocity, and the highest activity can reach 100%. The catalyst is particularly stable for 12 h, and no deactivation is observed. Nanoparticle a-FeOOH prepared using hydrated iron sulfate shows higher COS hydrolysis activity, and the optimum calcination temperature for the catalyst is 260C. In addition, the catalysts can remove COS and H2S simultaneously, and 60C is favorable for the removal of H2S. The compensation effect exists in nanoparticle-based catalysts.     

Immobilization of Penicillin G Acylase on Calcined Layered Double Hydroxides

A hydrotalcite-like Mg2 /Al3 layered double hydroxide (LDH) material was prepared by means of amodified coprecipitation method involving a rapid mixing step followed by a separate aging process. LDH calcined at 500℃ , denoted as CLDH, was characterized by XRD, IR and BET surface area measurements.CLDH has a poor crystalline MgO-like structure with a high surface area and porosity. CLDH was used as asupport for the immobilization of penicillin G acylase(PGA). The effect of varying the immobilization conditions, such as pH, contact time and the ratio of enzyme to support, on the activity of the immobilized enzymein the hydrolysis of penicillin G has been studied. It was found that the activity of the immobilized enzyme decreased slightly with decreasing pH and reached a maximum after a contact time of 24 h. The activity of theimmobilized enzyme increased with increasing the ratio of enzyme to support. It was found that the adsorption of PGA inhibited the expected reaction of CLDH with an aqueous medium to regenerate a LDH phase. Itsoriginal activity(36%) after 15 cycles of reuse of the immobilized enzyme was retained, but no further loss in the activity was observed.     

Thermodynamic Foundation for High Temperature Electrochemistry

Thermodynamic concepts required for the thermodynamic calculation of the potentials of electrodes for high temperature applications are briefly reviewed. A thermodynamic approach to the calculation of half cell potentials and the standard chemical potential of an electron at high temperatures which are related to the Standard Hydrogen Electrode(SHE) is discussed. As examples, an external Ag/AgCl reference electrode and a YSZ(Ag|O2) pH sensor for high temperature applications are analyzed by using the thermodynamic ap-proach to derive a high temperature pH measurement equation. The two electrodes are employed to measure high temperature pH and the measured pH was compared with the calculated pH by using a solution chem-istry method. Concepts and principles for electrode kinetics are also briefly introduced and a modification to the Tafel equations is suggested.     

LSM-YSZ nano-composite cathode with YSZ interlayer for solid oxide fuel cells

Low temperature prepared(La_(0.8)Sr_(0.2))_(0.9)MnO_3-δ-Y_(0.15)Zr_(0.85)O_(1.93)(LSM-YSZ) nano-composite cathode has high three-phase boundary(TPB) density and shows higher oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) activity than traditional LSM-YSZ cathode at reduced temperatures. But the weak connection between cathode and electrolyte due to low sintering temperature restrains the performance of LSM-YSZ nano-composite cathode. A YSZ interlayer, consisted of nanoparticles smaller than 10 nm, is introduced by spinning coating hydrolyzed YSZ sol solution on electrolyte and sintering at 800 °C. The thickness of the interlayer is about 150 nm. The YSZ interlayer intimately adheres to the electrolyte and shows obvious agglomeration with LSM-YSZ nano-composite cathode. The power densities of the cell with interlayer are 0.83, 0.46 and 0.21 W/cm~2 under 0.7 V at 800, 700 and 600 °C, respectively, which are 36%, 48% and 50% improved than that of original cell. The interlayer introduction slightly increases the ohmic resistance but significantly decreases the polarization resistance. The depressed high frequency arcs of impedance spectra suggest that the oxygen incorporation kinetics are enhanced at the boundary of YSZ interlayer and LSM-YSZ nanocomposite cathode, contributing to improved electrochemical performance of the cell with interlayer.     

Preparation and characterization of highly photoactive nanocrystalline TiO_2 powders by solvent evaporation- induced crystallization method

Highly photoactive bi-phase nanocrystalline TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared by a solvent evaporation-induced crystallization (SEIC) method, and calcined at different temperatures. The obtained TiO2 photocatalyst was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and BET surface areas. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic oxidation of acetone in air. The results show that solvent evaporation can promote the crystallization and phase transformation of TiO2 at 100℃. When calcination temperatures are below 600℃, the prepared TiO2 powders show bimodal pore size distributions in the mesoporous region. At 700℃, the pore size distributions exhibit monomodal distribution of the inter-aggregated pores due to the collapse of the intra-aggregated pores. At 100℃, the obtained TiO2 photocatalyst by this method shows good photocatalytic activity, and at 400℃, its photocatalytic activity exceeds that of Degussa P25. This may be attributed to the fact t     

STUDIES ON SULFHYDRYL AND ALKALINE AMINO ACID RESIDUES OF FRUCTOSE-6-PHOSPHATE-2-KINASE

This Communication reports the roles of cysteine, lysine and arginine residues inchicken liver fructose-6-phosphate-2--kinase. Chemical modification of the enzyme withDTNB demonstrates that there are nine SH groups in the enzyme. Among these SH groups, atneutral pH six SHs can be titrated; in the presence of Fru6P four can be titrated; and inthe presence of ATP seven can be titrated. During the process of titration, the activity ofthe enzyme increases first and subsequently decreases gradually to the original level. NENIhas an effect similar to DTNB for the activity changes of the enzyme. On the contrary,PCMB or iodoacetic acid has a little effect on the activity of the enzyme. The pH profileof the activity shows that there is an essential ionizable group with a pK_a of 9.0, mostprobably the lysyl residue, which responds to the catalytical reaction. PLP or phenylglyoxalinactivates the enzyme. For PLP inactivation, Fru6P, one of the substrates, most effectivelyprotects the enzyme. Both products Fru2,6P_2     

Chemical vapor deposition growth of phase-selective inorganic lead halide perovskite films for sensitive photodetectors

Inorganic lead halide perovskites are attractive optoelectronic materials owing to their relative stability compared to organic cation alternatives.The chemical vapor deposition(CVD) method offers potential for high quality perovskite film growth.The deposition temperature is a critical parameter determining the film quality owing to the melting difference between the precursors.Here,perovskite films were deposited by the CVD method at various temperatures between 500-800℃.The perovskite phase converts from CsPb₂Br₅ to CsPbBr₃ gradually as the deposition temperature is increased.The grain size of the perovskite films also increases with temperature.The phase transition mechanism was clarified.The photoexcited state dynamics were investigated by spatially and temporally resolved fluorescence measurements.The perovskite film deposited under 750℃ condition is of the CsPbBr₃ phase,showing low trap-state density and large crystalline grain size.A photodetector based on perovskite films shows high photocurrent and an on/off ratio of ~2.5×10⁴.