Biodegradation of poly(lactic acid) and its nanocomposites

PLA nanocomposites based on organically modified montmorillonites at 5% w/w loading were prepared by melt blending using an internal mixer and then degraded in a commercial compost. The addition of nanoclays was found to increase the PLA degradation rate, especially for the highest dispersed clay in the polymer matrix. Biodegradation by microorganisms isolated from the compost showed the bacterium Bacillus licheniformis as one of the responsible for PLA biodegradation in compost. It was also found that clays can influence the polymer bacterial degradation depending on their chemical structure and affinity of the bacterium towards the clay.     

Inorganic Elements in Mytilus galloprovincialis Shells: Geographic Traceability by Multivariate Analysis of ICP-MS Data

The international seafood trade is based on food safety, quality, sustainability, and traceability. Mussels are bio-accumulative sessile organisms that need regular control to guarantee their safe consumption. However, no well-established and validated methods exist to trace mussel origin, even if several attempts have been made over the years. Recently, an inorganic multi-elemental fingerprint coupled to multivariate statistics has increasingly been applied in food quality control. The mussel shell can be an excellent reservoir of foreign inorganic chemical species, allowing recording long-term environmental changes. The present work investigates the multi-elemental composition of mussel shells, including Al, Cu, Cr, Zn, Mn, Cd, Co, U, Ba, Ni, Pb, Mg, Sr, and Ca, determined by inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry in Mytilus galloprovincialis collected along the Central Adriatic Coast (Marche Region, Italy) at 25 different sampling sites (18 farms and 7 natural banks) located in seven areas. The experimental data, coupled with chemometric approaches (principal components analysis and linear discriminant analysis), were used to create a statistical model able to discriminate samples as a function of their production site. The LDA model is suitable for achieving a correct assignment of >90% of individuals sampled to their respective harvesting locations and for being applied to counteract fraud.     

Characterization of O2 (1Δg)-derived oxidation products of tryptophan: A combination of tandem mass spectrometry analyses and isotopic labeling studies

The fragmentation mechanisms of singlet oxygen [O(2) ((1)Delta(g))]-derived oxidation products of tryptophan (W) were analyzed using collision-induced dissociation coupled with (18)O-isotopic labeling experiments and accurate mass measurements. The five identified oxidized products, namely two isomeric alcohols (trans and cis WOH), two isomeric hydroperoxides (trans and cis WOOH), and N-formylkynurenine (FMK), were shown to share some common fragment ions and losses of small neutral molecules. Conversely, each oxidation product has its own fragmentation mechanism and intermediates, which were confirmed by (18)O-labeling studies. Isomeric WOH lost mainly H(2)O + CO, while WOOH showed preferential elimination of C(2)H(5)NO(3) by two distinct mechanisms. Differences in the spatial arrangement of the two isomeric WOHs led to differences in the intensities of the fragment ions. The same behavior was also found for trans and cis WOOH. FMK was shown to dissociate by a diverse range of mechanisms, with the loss of ammonia the most favored route. MS/MS analyses, (18)O-labeling, and H(2)(18)O experiments demonstrated the ability of FMK to exchange its oxygen atoms with water. Moreover, this approach also revealed that the carbonyl group has more pronounced oxygen exchange ability compared with the formyl group. The understanding of fragmentation mechanisms involved in O(2) ((1)Delta(g))-mediated oxidation of W provides a useful step toward the structural characterization of oxidized peptides and proteins.     

Magnetic Bistability of Individual Single‐Molecule Magnets Grafted on Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotubes

A POM to remember : Hexanuclear Fe^III polyoxometalate (POM) single‐molecule magnets (see structure) can be noncovalently assembled on the surface of single‐wall carbon nanotubes. Complementary characterization techniques (see TEM image and magnetic hysteresis loops) demonstrate the integrity and bistability of the individual molecules, which could be used to construct single‐molecule memory devices.

     

Organic templates for the generation of inorganic materials

Mankind's fascination with shapes and patterns, many examples of which come from nature, has greatly influenced areas such as art and architecture. Science too has long since been interested in the origin of shapes and structures found in nature. Whereas organic chemistry in general, and supramolecular chemistry especially, has been very successful in creating large superstructures of often stunning morphology, inorganic chemistry has lagged behind. Over the last decade, however, researchers in various fields of chemistry have been studying novel methods through which the shape of inorganic materials can be controlled at the micro- or even nanoscopic level. A method that has proven very successful is the formation of inorganic structures under the influence of (bio)organic templates, which has resulted in the generation of a large variety of structured inorganic structures that are currently unattainable through any other method.     

The Michael addition of indoles to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by CeCl3.7H2O-NaI combination supported on silica gel

Alkylation of indoles by means of the Michael addition has been the subject of a number of investigation. It is well established that regioselectivity in the additions of indoles to electron-deficient alkenes is strongly controlled by the reaction medium. In a continuation of the work on developing greener and cleaner technologies, the cerium(III) chloride heptahydrate and sodium iodide combination supported on silica gel catalyzes the alkylation of various indoles with alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones giving 3-(3-oxoalkyl)indole derivatives in good yields. The substitution on the indole nucleus occurred exclusively at the 3-position, and N-alkylation products have not been observed.     

Metal-organic chains constructed from pre-organized N2S2 donor ligands

Three new N₂S₂ donor ligands 1,1′-((2-(2-(phenylthio)phenylthio)phenyl)methylene)bis(3,5-R-1H-pyrazole), R = H (L^H), R = Me (L^Me), R = i-Pr (L^i-Pr) have been prepared and characterized. These bifunctional ligands incorporate two distinct chelate donor systems, by virtue of the presence of bispyrazole and bisthioether functions. The preferred conformation of these ligands is such that the N₂ and S₂ donor moieties may be oriented in opposite directions, thus favoring the formation of molecular chains when treated with AgBF₄. The X-ray structures of Ag(I) complexes show that, depending on the steric hindrance present on the pyrazole rings, these ligands behave as κ⁴-SSNN-μ bridging tetradentate (when R = H), or κ³-SNN-μ bridging tridentate (when R = Me, i-Pr). Interestingly, [Ag(L^H)]BF₄ crystallizes in the chiral space group P4₁, with the molecular chain that is folded around the 4₁ screw axis.     

Quantum chemical studies of dioxygen activation by mononuclear non-heme iron enzymes with the 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad

Density functional theory with the B3LYP hybrid functional has been used to study the mechanisms for dioxygen activation by four families of mononuclear non-heme iron enzymes: alpha-ketoacid-dependent dioxygenases, tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent hydroxylases, extradiol dioxygenases, and Rieske dioxygenases. These enzymes have a common active site with a ferrous ion coordinated to two histidines and one carboxylate group (aspartate or glutamate). In contrast to the heme case, this type of weak field environment always leads to a high-spin ground state. With the exception of the Rieske dioxygenases, which have an electron source outside the active site, the dioxygen activation process passes through the formation of a bridging-peroxide species, which then undergoes O-O bond cleavage finally leading to the four electron reduction of O(2). In the case of tetrahydrobiopterin- and alpha-ketoacid-dependent enzymes, the O-O heterolysis yields a high-valent iron-oxo species, which is capable of performing a two-electron oxidation chemistry on various organic substrates. For the other two families of enzymes (extradiol dioxygenases and Rieske dioxygenases) the substrate oxidation and the O-O bond cleavage are found to be coupled. In the extradiol dioxygenases the product of the O-O bond cleavage is a ferric iron with an oxy-substrate with a mixture of radical and anionic character, which is essential for the selectivity of the catechol cleavage.