A novel FRET approach for in situ investigation of cellulase–cellulose interaction

A novel real-time in situ detection method for the investigation of cellulase–cellulose interactions based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been developed. FRET has been widely used in biological and biophysical fields for studies related to proteins, nucleic acids, and small biological molecules. Here, we report the efficient labeling of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with donor dye 5-(aminomethyl)fluorescein and its use as a donor in a FRET assay together with an Alexa Fluor 594 (AF594, acceptor)–cellulase conjugate as acceptor. This methodology was successfully employed to investigate the temperature dependency of cellulase binding to cellulose at a molecular level by monitoring the fluorescence emission change of donor (or acceptor) in a homogeneous liquid environment. It also provides a sound base for ongoing cellulase–cellulose study using cellulosic fiber.     

A Survey of Strain-Promoted Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition in Polymer Chemistry

Highly efficient reactions that enable the assembly of molecules into complex structures have driven extensive progress in synthetic chemistry. In particular, reactions that occur under mild conditions and in benign solvents, while producing no by-products and rapidly reach completion are attracting significant attention. Amongst these, the strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition, involving various cyclooctyne derivatives reacting with azide-bearing molecules, has gained extensive popularity in organic synthesis and bioorthogonal chemistry. This reaction has also recently gained momentum in polymer chemistry, where it has been used to decorate, link, crosslink, and even prepare polymer chains. This survey highlights key achievements in the use of this reaction to produce a variety of polymeric constructs for disparate applications.     

A Convenient Method for the Generation of Dihalocarbenes

Yamawaki reported that alumina coated with potassium fluoride(KF-Al_2O_3),could b(?)used as a strong base to promote the generation of dichlorocarben(?) from chloroform,usingcyclohexene as the trapping agent.However,the yield of 7,7-dichlorobicyclo-[4.1.0]hep-     

Synthesis of a Rare Doubly-interpenetrating Zinc(Ⅱ) Coordination Polymer for Applications in Photocatalysis

A rare doubly-interpenetrating Zn-MOF(complex 1), formulated as {[Zn(tci)-(bpy)(NO_3)·DMF·0.5 CH_3CN}_n(H_3tci = tri(2-carboxyethyl) isocyanurate, bpy = 4,4-bipyridine), has been constructed under solvothermal conditions and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy(IR) and powder X-ray diffraction(PXRD). 1 crystallizes in monoclinic system, space group C2/c with a = 21.5759(4), b = 12.87221(18), c = 26.4917(5) ?, β = 109.462(2)°, V = 6937.1(2) ?~3, C_(50)H_(56)N_(14)O_(27)Zn_4, Mr = 1546.56, Z = 4, D+c = 1.481 g·cm~(-3), μ = 2.325 mm~(-1) λ = 1.54178 ?, F(000) = 3160, S = 1.041, R = 0.0621 and wR = 0.1773. 1 features a two-fold interpenetrating 3 D hms topology. Moreover, the thermal stabilities, fluorescent and CO_2 adsorption properties were investigated. Complex 1 showed highly encoura-ging photocatalytic degradation of toxic dye molecules with a potential application in wastewater purification.     

A New Criterion for Brittle-Ductile Transition of Polymer Blends

The T_c criterion was first used by S. Wu for characterizing the brittleductile (B-D) transition of N6/EPDM blends. But in this paper, a new criterion which is based on the stress analysis of blends is proposed to characterize the B-D transitions of blends, namely, A criterionV_(fc) and d_c are the critical volume fractions and particle size of dispersed particles in blends, respectively. For given blends, A is independent of the morphology of dispersed phase and is only the characteristic parameter of matrix. The B-D transitions of different blends, including polar N6/EPDM blends, nonpolar PP/EPDM blends and PE/CaCO_3 composites, were manipulated with A criterion and satisfactory results were obtained. In addition, a new master curve for the impact strength of PP/EPDM blends versus V_f~2/d was obtained. The results showed that A criterion is more suitable than T_c criterion for characterizing the B-D transition of blends.     

Fluorobenzotriazole-Based Medium-Bandgap Conjugated D–A Copolymers for Applications to Fullerene-Based and Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells

Two new medium-bandgap (MBG) donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers (PSTF and PDTS) with fluorobenzotriazole as an A unit and spiro[cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b′]dithiophene-4,9′-fluorene] (STF) or dithienosilole (DTS) as the D unit are designed and synthesized as donor materials for polymer solar cell (PSC) applications. PSTF shows a broader absorption spectrum relative to PDTS reflecting an additional high-energy absorption band due to the conjugated thiophene side chains on STF moiety. Compared with PDTS, PSTF exhibits weaker π–π aggregation and lower lying HOMO level. Photovoltaic properties of the PSCs reveal that either PSTF or PDTS using PC₆₁BM as acceptor exhibits better performances than that of ITIC as acceptor, which results from the simultaneously increased V_oc, J_sc, and FF of PC₆₁BM-based PSCs. Moreover, when combined with PC₆₁BM and ITIC, the PSTF-based PSCs exhibit an efficiency of 3.66% and 2.42%, respectively, which is 45% and almost 1.5 times higher than that of the PDTS-based PSCs, respectively. This can be ascribed to the obviously improved V_oc and FF of PSTF-based PSCs benefitted from the deeper HOMO level and better active layer morphology. Our work demonstrates that using spiro-annulated building block as donor unit to construct MBG D-A copolymers is an alternative and effective approach for achieving efficient donor materials in PSCs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 2330–2343     

A Naphthalenedisulfonate–Cadmium Coordination Polymer with Lewis Basic Pyridyl Sites for the Catalytic Application in Acetylation of Phenols

A new cadmium(II) arenedisulfonate coordination polymer with uncoordinated pyridyl groups, formulating as [Cd(tpim)(2,6-nds)]_n (1), was synthesized by the hydrothermal reaction of 2,6-naphthalenedisulfonate (2,6-nds), 2,4,5-tri(4-pyridyl)-imidazole (tpim) and Cd(CH₃COO)₂. The functional utility is investigated by employing 1 as an efficient heterogeneous nucleophilic catalyst for the acetylation of phenols. The catalyst 1 is stable under the studied reaction conditions, and could be recycled without significantly losing activity.     

In situ formation of p–n junction: A novel principle for photoelectrochemical sensor and its application for mercury(II) ion detection

The discovery and development of photoelectrochemical sensors with novel principles are of great significance to realize sensitive and low-cost detection. In this paper, a new photoelectrochemial sensor based on the in situ formation of p–n junction was designed and used for the accurate determination of mercury(II) ions. Cysteine-capped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) was assembled on the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode based on the electrostatic interaction between Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and Cys-capped ZnS QDs. The in situ formation of HgS, a p-type semiconductor, on the surface of ZnS facilitated the charge carrier transport and promoted electron-hole separation, triggered an obviously enhanced anodic photocurrent of Cys-capped ZnS QDs. The formation of p–n junction was confirmed by P–N conductive type discriminator measurements and current–voltage (I–V) curves. The photoelectrochemical method was used for the sensing of trace mercuric (II) ions with a linear concentration of 0.01 to 10.0 µM and a detection limit of 4.6 × 10⁻⁹ mol/L. It is expected that the present study can serve as a foundation to the application of p–n heterojunction to photoelectrochemical sensors and it might be easily extended to more exciting sensing systems by photoelectrochemistry.     

Double Michael–Pudovik addition of generated in situ silylic esters of trivalent phosphorus to unsaturated compounds

Russian Journal of General Chemistry -     

血红蛋白-维生素B6-ONOO-体系的荧光特性及ONOO-分析

在中性pH值的缓冲溶液中,血红蛋白作催化剂,维生素B6与过氧亚硝酸活性氧(ONOO-)发生反应,维生素B6原来位于391 nm处的强烈的荧光发射峰消失,而在384 nm和424 nm处出现了两个新的荧光峰.据此建立了血红蛋白一维生素B6体系高灵敏检测ONOO-活性氧的新方法.方法的线性范围为5.24×10-8～2.62×10-6mol/L,检出限为2.62×10-9mol/L,对1.31×10-7mol/L的ONOO-溶液测定的相对标准偏差为3.75%(n=7).     

Overcoming the Oxygen Dilemma in Photoredox Catalysis: Near-Infrared (NIR) Light-Triggered Peroxynitrite Generation for Antibacterial Applications

The peroxynitrite anion (ONOO⁻) is closely associated with many diseases and the creation of ONOO⁻ donors is an essential means of understanding its pathophysiological functions. However, it is challenging to develop ONOO⁻ donors due to the difficulties in simultaneously producing highly reactive and short-lived nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anion (O₂⋅⁻). Here, we report a novel strategy for constructing ONOO⁻ donors by combining near-infrared (NIR)-mediated type I photosensitization and photoredox catalysis. The key design using a Nile blue analogue that can serve as both a type I photosensitizer and a metal-free photocatalyst. Intriguingly, the formation of O₂⋅⁻ via type I photosensitization avoids oxygen interference and instead activates nitrobenzofurazan-based NO donors via oxygen-tolerant NIR photoredox catalysis. The simultaneous release of O₂⋅⁻ and NO leads to ONOO⁻ release, showing both antibacterial and antibiofilm activities.     

15N Chemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (15N‐CIDNP) Investigations of the Peroxynitrite Decay and Nitration of N‐Acetyl‐L‐tyrosine

During the decay of (¹⁵N)peroxynitrite (O?¹⁵NOO ^? ) in the presence of N‐acetyl‐L ‐tyrosine (Tyrac) in neutral solution and at 268 K, the ¹⁵N‐NMR signals of ¹⁵NO and ¹⁵NO show emission (E) and enhanced absorption (A) as it has already been observed by Butler and co‐workers in the presence of L ‐tyrosine (Tyr). The effects are built up in radical pairs [CO , ¹⁵NO ]^S formed by O? O bond scission of the (¹⁵N)peroxynitrite? CO₂ adduct (O?¹⁵NO? OCO ). In the absence of Tyrac and Tyr, the peroxynitrite decay rate is enhanced, and ¹⁵N‐CIDNP does not occur. This is explained by a chain reaction during the peroxynitrite decay involving N₂O₃ and radicals NO ^. and NO . The interpretation is supported by ¹⁵N‐CIDNP observed with (¹⁵N)peroxynitrite generated in situ during reaction of H₂O₂ with N‐acetyl‐N‐(¹⁵N)nitroso‐dl ‐tryptophan ((¹⁵N)NANT) at 298 K and pH 7.5. In the presence of Na¹⁵NO₂ at pH 7.5 and in acidic solution, ¹⁵N‐CIDNP appears in the nitration products of Tyrac, 1‐(¹⁵N)nitro‐N‐acetyl‐L ‐tyrosine (1‐¹⁵NO₂‐Tyrac) and 3‐(¹⁵N)nitro‐N‐acetyl‐L ‐tyrosine (3‐¹⁵NO₂‐Tyrac). The effects are built up in radical pairs [Tyrac ^. , ¹⁵NO ]^F formed by encounters of independently generated radicals Tyrac ^. and ¹⁵NO . Quantitative ¹⁵N‐CIDNP studies show that nitrogen dioxide dependent reactions are the main if not the only pathways for yielding both nitrate and nitrated products.     

Enzyme–Polymer Conjugates to Enhance Enzyme Shelf Life in a Liquid Detergent Formulation

Herein, the synthesis of enzyme–polymer conjugates is reported. Four different activated polymers (mPEG‐aldehyde, mPEG‐NHS, maltodextrin‐aldehyde, carboxymethyl cellulose aldehyde) are conjugated to the surface of protease, α‐amylase, and lipase using two different strategies (reductive amination and alkylation with NHS‐activated acid). Although the chemical modification of the enzymes is accompanied by losses in enzyme activity (maximum loss 40%), the covalent attachment of polymers increases the thermal stability and the stability in a standard detergent formulation compared to the unmodified enzymes. The enzyme–polymer conjugates are characterized by asymmetrical‐flow field‐flow fractionation and differential scanning microcalorimetry. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that conjugated enzymes still show performance in a real washing process. Enzyme–polymer conjugates show a potential as a stabilizing system for enzymes in detergents.     

The Reaction of Peroxynitrite with Morpholine (Secondary Amines) Revisited: The Overlooked Hydroxylamine Formation

The reaction of peroxynitrite/peroxynitrous acid with morpholine as a model compound for secondary amines is reinvestigated in the absence and presence of carbon dioxide. The concentration‐ and pH‐dependent formation of N‐nitrosomorpholine and N‐nitromorpholine as reported in three previous papers ([25] [26] [14]) is basically confirmed. However, ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopic product analysis shows that, in the absence of CO₂, N‐hydroxymorpholine is, at pH ≥ 7, the major product of this reaction, even under anaerobic conditions. The formation of N‐hydroxymorpholine has been overlooked in the three cited papers. Additional (ring‐opened) oxidation products of morpholine are also detected. The data account for radical pathways for the formation of these products via intermediate morpholine‐derived aminyl and α‐aminoalkyl radicals. This is further supported by EPR‐spectrometric detection of morpholine‐derived nitroxide radicals, i.e., morpholin‐4‐yloxy radicals. N‐Nitrosomorpholine, however, is very likely formed by electrophilic attack of peroxynitrite‐derived N₂O₄. ¹⁵N‐CIDNP Experiments establish that, in the presence of CO₂, N‐nitro‐ and C‐nitromorpholine are generated by radical recombination. The present results are in full accord with a fractional (28 ± 2%) homolytic decay of peroxynitrite/peroxynitrous acid with release of free hydroxyl and nitrogen dioxide radicals.     

In Situ Incorporation of Praziquantel in Polymer Microparticles through Suspension Polymerization for Treatment of Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is one of the major public health problems worldwide. Even though this is a common illness among preschool children in poor countries, treatment is carried out mainly through the administration of praziquantel tablets, which has some disadvantages, such as the strong bitter taste. As an alternative to overcome this problem, the development of new encapsulated praziquantel formulations is demanded. For this reason, suspension polymerizations are carried out for the in situ encapsulation of praziquantel into polymer microparticles, using methyl methacrylate (MMA) and cationic compounds (diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, DEAEMA, and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, DMAEMA) as comonomers. This technique allows for the preparation of polymer microparticles with high encapsulation efficiencies (>90%) with characteristic sizes ranging from 0.5 to 1500 µm. Drug release profiles show that praziquantel is released from poly(methyl methacrylate) microparticles slowly due to the existence of strong diffusional resistance. On the other hand, the addition of cationic comonomers renders polymer particles sensitive to pH variations, allowing for faster release of praziquantel in acidic environments, as found in the stomach.     

A New Poly(2,7‐Dibenzosilole) Derivative in Polymer Solar Cells

A new soluble conjugated copolymer based on 2,7‐dibenzosilole and 4,7‐dithien‐2‐yl‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole units has been synthesized (PBSDTBT). Bulk heterojunction solar cell devices are fabricated using this material as the donor and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the acceptor. The power conversion efficiency is 1.6% under AM1.5 illumination. This material also shows a good V_OC (0.97 V). The results are quite promising considering the relatively large bandgap (1.9 eV) of this polymer.

     

A consensus least squares support vector regression (LS-SVR) for analysis of near-infrared spectra of plant samples

Consensus modeling of combining the results of multiple independent models to produce a single prediction avoids the instability of single model. Based on the principle of consensus modeling, a consensus least squares support vector regression (LS-SVR) method for calibrating the near-infrared (NIR) spectra was proposed. In the proposed approach, NIR spectra of plant samples were firstly preprocessed using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) for filtering the spectral background and noise, then, consensus LS-SVR technique was used for building the calibration model. With an optimization of the parameters involved in the modeling, a satisfied model was achieved for predicting the content of reducing sugar in plant samples. The predicted results show that consensus LS-SVR model is more robust and reliable than the conventional partial least squares (PLS) and LS-SVR methods.     

New Poly(propylene glycol)‐ and Poly(ethylene glycol)‐Based Polymer Gelators with L‐Lysine

Summary: New polymer gelators consisting of poly(propylene glycol) or poly(ethylene glycol) and L ‐lysine‐based low‐molecular‐weight gelators have been developed. These polymer gelators were synthesized according to a simple procedure with high reaction yield, and formed organogels in many organic solvents. The organogelation mechanism was proposed from the transmission electron microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy studies.

Structures of the polymer gelators synthesized here.