Today’s and tomorrow’s bio-based bulk chemicals from white biotechnology

Little information is yet available on the economic viability of the production of bio-based bulk chemicals and intermediates from white biotechnology (WB). This paper details a methodology to systematically evaluate the techno-economic prospects of present and future production routes of bio-based bulk chemicals produced with WB. Current and future technology routes are evaluated for 15 products assuming prices of fermentable sugar between 70 euro/t and 400 euro/t and crude oil prices of US $25/barrel and US $50/barrel. The results are compared to current technology routes of petrochemical equivalents. For current state-of-the-art WB processes and a crude oil price of US $25/barrel, WB-based ethanol, 1,3-propanediol, polytrimethylene terephthalate and succinic acid are economically viable. Only three WB products are economically not viable for future technology: acetic acid, ethylene and PLA. Future-technology ethylene and PLA become economically viable for a higher crude oil price (US $50/barrel). Production costs plus profits of WB products decrease by 20-50% when changing from current to future technology for a crude oil price of US $25 per barrel and across all sugar prices. Technological progress in WB can thus contribute significantly to improved economic viability of WB products. A large-scale introduction of WB-based production of economically viable bulk chemicals would therefore be desirable if the environmental impacts are smaller than those of current petrochemical production routes.     

An alternative,practical, and ecological protocol for synthesis of arylidene analogues of Meldrum’s acid as useful intermediates

Research on Chemical Intermediates - This paper presents an ecological protocol for Knoevenagel condensation using a catalytic amount of 4,4′-trimethylenedipiperidine as a versatile,...     

Euclidean chemical spaces from molecular fingerprints: Hamming distance and Hempel’s ravens

Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design - Molecules are often characterized by sparse binary fingerprints, where 1s represent the presence of substructures and 0s represent their absence....     

Iron, cysteine and Parkinson’s disease

Abstract  

A short review of the role of cysteine and iron in the progression of Parkinson’s disease is presented. The complex chemistry of cysteine and iron and its interactions are discussed and put into the context of oxidative stress during neurodegeneration.     

Catalyst-free synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles from arylamins,benzonitriles, arylglyoxals,and Meldrum’s acid

An efficient and catalyst-free for the synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles has been developed using a one-pot, two-step reaction of arylamins, benzonitriles, arylglyoxals, and Meldrum’s acid. All the products were obtained in good to excellent yields and their structures were established from their spectroscopic data.     

Hierarchical enumeration of Kekulé’s benzenes,Ladenburg’s benzenes,Dewar’s benzenes,and benzvalenes by using combined-permutation representations

The group hierarchy for each skeleton of ligancy 6 is formulated to be: point group (PG \({\varvec{G}}_{\sigma }\)) \(\subseteq \) RS-stereoisomeric group (RS-SIG \({\varvec{G}}_{\sigma \widetilde{\sigma }\widehat{I}}\)) \(\subseteq \) stereoisomeric group (SIG \(\widetilde{{\varvec{G}}}_{\sigma \widetilde{\sigma }\widehat{I}}\)) \(\subseteq \) isoskeletomeric group (ISG \(\widetilde{\widetilde{{\varvec{G}}}}_{\sigma \widetilde{\sigma }\widehat{I}}\) = \({\varvec{S}}^{[6]}_{\sigma \widehat{I}}\)), where we start from the PG \({\varvec{G}}_{\sigma }\) = \({\varvec{D}}_{6h}\) for the Kekulé benzene skeleton, from the PG \({\varvec{G}}_{\sigma }\) = \({\varvec{D}}_{3h}\) for the Ladenburg benzene skeleton, from the PG \({\varvec{G}}_{\sigma }\) = \({\varvec{C}}_{2v}\) for the Dewar benzene skeleton, or from the PG \({\varvec{G}}_{\sigma }\) = \({\varvec{C}}_{2v}\) for the benzvalene skeleton. After these groups are constructed as combined-permutation representations, the calculation of the respective cycle indices with chirality fittingness (CI-CFs) and the introduction of ligand-inventory functions are conducted to give generation functions for 3D-based enumerations (for PGs and RS-SIGs) and 2D-based enumerations (for SIGs and ISGs). The enumeration results are discussed by means of isomer-classification diagrams, in which equivalence classes under enantiomerism (for PGs), RS-stereoisomerism (for RS-SIGs), stereoisomerism (for SIGs), and isoskeletomerism (for ISGs) are illustrated schematically. The implicit connotations of the conventional terms “skeletal isomerism”, “positional isomerism”, and “constitutional isomerism” are discussed, where the effects of the concept of isoskeletomerism are emphasized.     

Chemistry of HCNH+: mechanisms, structures, and relevance to Titan’s atmosphere

The chemistry of HCNH⁺ in Titan’s atmosphere is not completely understood despite previous experimental and theoretical studies. In response to recent suggestions in the literature, we have searched for specific products of the reactions of HCNH⁺ with H₂, CH₄, C₂H₂, and C₂H₄ using the flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube technique. We have probed for an association mechanism for reaction with H₂, and associative-H₂ loss for the reactions involving CH₄, C₂H₂, and C₂H₄. In all cases, these reaction mechanisms were found to be inefficient pathways for the depletion of HCNH⁺. Our ab initio computational studies characterize the structures and energies for these mechanisms and indicate that the proposed pathways are endothermic or possess reaction barriers. We compare our studies to previous experimental and computational work, and we suggest other ion-neutral reactions with HCNH⁺ that have not been included in previous models of Titan’s ionosphere.     

Enantioresolution of Amino Acids: A Decade’s Perspective,Prospects and Challenges

Both from academic and industrial points of view enantioseparation of dl-amino acids continues to be a subject of immense importance and enjoys a great analytical significance in various fields, such as in the studies of fossils, origin of life, disease diagnosis, quality of food and beverages, etc. The present paper is a topical collection of recent advances along with a discussion on possible challenges in chiral amino acid analysis and is intended to present the existing state of knowledge on the topic as a particular facet of chromatography (and electrophoretic techniques). It presents a critical overview of the state-of-the-art of the topic, with critically selected examples to point the reader to trends and likely future developments and to give a selection of important references to the current literature.

     

Wilhelm Ostwald’s energetics 3: energetic theory and applications,part II

This is the third of a series of essays on the development and reception of Wilhelm Ostwald’s energetics. The first essay described the chemical origins of Ostwald’s interest in the energy concept and his motivations for seeking a comprehensive science of energy. The second essay and the present one discuss his various attempts, beginning in 1891 and extending over almost 3 years, to develop a consistent and coherent energetic theory. A final essay will consider reactions to this work and Ostwald’s replies, and will also seek to evaluate his program of research. Ostwald’s project—to reconstruct physics and chemistry “as a pure energetics”—is worth attending to for several reasons: first, because Ostwald did ground-breaking work in chemistry (he was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1909 for his studies in catalysis and rates of reaction); second, because an important school of physical chemistry formed around him at Leipzig, a school that promoted his ideas; and, finally, because he was a prominent and vigorous participant in debates at the end of the nineteenth century concerning the proper course of physical theory.

Composition and Properties of the Unique Oil from Azerbaijan’s Naftalan Oilfield

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - Azerbaijan’s Naftalan oil is unique in the world because of its medicinal properties. The physicochemical characteristics and chemical composition of...     

Polymeric and sandwich Schiff’s bases complexes derived from 4,4′-methylenedianiline

Cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of Schiff’s bases derived from 4,4′-methylenedianiline and pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde(L¹), furan-2-carboxaldehyde(L²) or thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde(L³), were prepared and characterized by different analytical and spectral methods. The Schiff bases behave as neutral tetradentate ligands. The chloro-complexes of (L²) with (2:3) mole ratio have a polymeric nature. However, that of L¹ and L³ with (1:1) mole ratio showed a sandwich structure. All complexes display an octahedral geometry, except complex (2) which has a tetrahedral one. O _h/T _d equilibrium for chloro-complexes of cobalt with ligand L¹ was established in the solid state. ESR spectra of solid copper(II) complexes showed isotropic and axial type with dx ²-y ² ground state. The thermal study showed that the complexes with different solvents of crystallization exercise different types of interaction. The observed thermochromic phenomenon for cobalt complex was explained along with its thermal behaviour.     

Mayer’s orthogonalization: relation to the Gram-Schmidt and Löwdin’s symmetrical scheme

A method introduced by Mayer (Theor Chem Acc 104:163, 2000) for generating an orthogonal set of basis vectors, perpendicular to an arbitrary start vector, is examined. The procedure provides the complementary vectors in closed form, expressed with the components of the start vector. Mayer’s method belongs to the family of orthogonalization schemes, which keep an arbitrary vector intact without introducing any non-physical sequence-dependence. It is shown that Mayer’s orthogonalization is recovered by performing a two-step combination of the Gram-Schmidt and Löwdin’s symmetrical orthogonalization. Processor time requirement of constructing Mayer’s orthonormal set is proportional to ～N ², in contrast to the rough ～N ³ CPU requirement of performing either a full Gram-Schmidt or Löwdin’s symmetrical orthogonalization. Utility of Mayer’s orthogonalization is demonstrated on an electronic structure application using perturbation theory to improve multiconfigurational wavefunctions.     

Reactions of aniline with alkali metal diphenylketyls and dianions derived from benzophenone and Michler’s ketone

Potassium diphenylketyl and benzophenone dianion react with aniline to afford N-(diphenylmethylene) aniline. Under analogous conditions, the corresponding sodium and lithium derivatives undergo disproportionation with formation of triphenylmethanol, benzoic acid, and diphenylmethanol. The condensation of potassium and sodium bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)ketyls and salts with Michlers ketone dianion leads to formation of N-[bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)methylene]aniline, while lithium bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-ketyl and Michlers ketone dilithium salt are reduced to bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)methanol.__________Translated from Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, Vol. 40, No. 12, 2004, pp. 1836–1839.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Turaeva, Kurbatov.     

Polymeric Nanotherapeutics for Alzheimer’s Disease: Summary and Outlook

Chinese Journal of Polymer Science -     

Heisenberg’s chemical legacy: resonance and the chemical bond

Heisenberg’s explanation of how two coupled oscillators exchange energy represented a dramatic success for his new matrix mechanics. As matrix mechanics transmuted into wave mechanics, resulting in what Heisenberg himself described as “…an extraordinary broadening and enrichment of the formalism of the quantum theory”, the term resonance also experienced a corresponding evolution. Heitler and London’s seminal application of wave mechanics to explain the quantum origins of the covalent bond, combined with Pauling’s characterization of the effect, introduced resonance into the chemical lexicon. As the Valence Bond approach gave way to a soon-to-be dominant Molecular Orbital method, our understanding of the term resonance, as it might apply to our understanding the chemical bond, has also changed.     

Authenticating apple cider vinegar’s home remedy claims: antibacterial,antifungal, antiviral properties and cytotoxicity aspect

These are the days when one would go online first seeking home remedies before seeing a doctor. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is one such popular yet scientifically under-validated remedy. Our results prove the unequivocal antimicrobial activity of ACV to be true at full strength concentrations. However, the activity cannot be generalised because although strong antibacterial activity was observed at 25% concentrations, in terms of antifungal activity, yeasts, especially Candida were found to be less susceptible. The antimicrobial/antioxidant properties are ascertained to the total phenolic contents of ACV, as confirmed by our characterisation of the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity. When checking for its cytotoxicity, ACV exhibited toxicity even at concentrations as low as 0.7%. These results indicate that there is no question of generalising the idea of ACV usage, instead more in vitro and in vivo validations are necessary in order to precisely weigh the pros and cons of ACV.     

Comparative adsorption of methylene blue by magnetic baker’s yeast and EDTAD-modified magnetic baker’s yeast: Equilibrium and kinetic study

Magnetic baker’s yeast (MB) was prepared using glutaraldehyde cross-linking method and chemical modification with ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD). The fabricated EDTAD-modified magnetic baker’s yeast (EMB) was then employed to remove methylene blue. Comparative adsorption of methylene blue by EMB and MB was systematically investigated with respect to pH, contact time, initial concentration and reaction temperature. The mechanism of methylene blue adsorption by EMB and MB was investigated by SEM, FTIR and Special surface area using methylene blue method. The results revealed that Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were steadily cross-linked/incorporated with baker’s yeast biomass and the EDTA was modified on the surface of the magnetic baker’s yeast. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted better by Langmuir isotherm, and the specific surface areas were 42.953–226.07 m²/g for MB and 94.972–499.85 m²/g for EMB, respectively. Kinetic studies suggested that the pseudo-second-order model was suitable to describe the adsorption process. Thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic. The recovery efficiencies were above 80% by using 0.1 M HCl.