Hydrolysis behavior of various crystalline celluloses treated by cellulase of Tricoderma viride

Cellobiose and glucose are valuable products that can be obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. This study discusses changes in the crystalline form of celluloses to enhance the production of sugars and examines the effect on structural properties during enzymatic hydrolysis. Various crystalline celluloses consisting of group I (cell I, cell III_I, cell IV_I) and group II (cell II, cell III_II, cell IV_II) of similar DPs were prepared as starting materials. The similar DP values allowed a more direct comparison of the hydrolysis yields. The outcomes were analyzed and evaluated based on the residues and supernatants obtained from the treatment. As a result: (1) action of the cellulase of Trichoderma viride decreased both DP and crystallinity, with greater changes in group II celluloses, (2) the polymorphic interconversion process that occurred for cell III_I, cell IV_I, cell III_II and cell IV_II during the treatment was independent of the enzymatic hydrolysis, thus, the hydrolysis behaviors depended on the starting material of the celluloses, and (3) higher sugar production was obtained from cell III_I and group II. Therefore, the hydrolysis behavior of the various crystalline celluloses depended on the particular polymorph of the starting material.     

Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Sesame Seed Shells by Microwave and Conventional Heating with Zinc Chloride Activation

The preparation of activated carbon from sesame shells as raw precursor was investigated in the study by sequentially applying microwave and conventional heating methods assisted by zinc chloride activation. The optimizisation of experimental parameters including microwave power, microwave treatment time, conventional activation time, conventional activation temperature and zinc chloride concentration ratio for the microwave and conventional heating method was performed. The characterization of the prepared activated carbon was done by thermogravimetric and differential thermal measurements, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and specific surface area analyses. The maximum surface area of 1254?m²/g for the prepared activated carbon was obtained at a microwave power of 750?W, a microwave treatment time of 20?min, an activation time of 45?min, an activation temperature of 500°C and zinc chloride concentration ratio of 1:1. Methylene blue and iodine adsorption capacities for the prepared activated carbon were 103 and 1199?mg/g, respectively.     

New peripherally tetra-[trans-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol] substituted metallophthalocyanines: synthesis,characterization and catalytic activity studies on the oxidation of phenolic compounds

In this paper, we elucidated the synthesis, characterization, and investigation of catalytic activity studies of new metallophthalocyanines 4 and 5 as the catalyst for phenolic compounds oxidation by trying different types of oxygen sources. The structural characterization of the products was made by a combination of elemental analysis, FT-IR, LC-MS/MS (for phthalonitrile derivative 3), MALDI-TOF mass spectral data (for metallophthalocyanines 4–7), UV–vis spectroscopy (for metallophthalocyanines 4–7), ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies (for compounds 3 and 6). The synthetic routes for the (trans-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol) substituted phthalonitrile derivative 3 and corresponding metallophthalocyanines 4–7 are outlined in Scheme 1. The MPc complexes 4–7 were synthesized via cyclotetramerization of compound 3 in the presence of the corresponding anhydrous metal salts (CoCl₂ for 4, CuCl₂ for 5, Zn(CH₃COO)₂ for 6 and MnCl₂ for 7) in dry n-pentanol as solvent and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) as strong base at reflux temperature under nitrogen gas. Phthalocyanines and their metal complexes, in general, display poor solubility in most of the organic solvents, however, the synthesized metallophthalocyanine complexes 4–7 were highly soluble in common organic solvents because of the introduction of the methyl groups on alkyl chains of peripheral arms. The catalytic activity of compounds 4 and 5 was evaluated for the oxidation of phenolic compounds such as 4-nitrophenol, o-chlorophenol, 2,3-dichlorophenol, and p-methoxyphenol. CoPc 4 displayed good catalytic performance with a full oxidation of 4-nitrophenol into the corresponding benzoquinone and hydroquinone with the highest TON and TOF values within 3 h.     

Photoluminescence Response from the Turkish Dentritic Agates

The three-dimensional photoluminescence emissions between 380 and 800 nm of the dentritic agate with white body color from the Dereyalak-?nönü-Eski?ehir (Turkey) region were obtained at the temperatures between 250 and 340 K under 366 nm excitation. The most advantage of three-dimensional photoluminescence graphic in a silica structure is to demonstrate clearly all vibronic structures through temperature increasing on the spectra. Hence, photoluminescence response from the gem-quality material was discussed in relation to chemical impurities of trivalent rare earth elements.

In the photoluminescence spectra, two strong and many weaker emission bands became clear at the lower temperature (250 K) conditions. First strong one is the purple band, and the highest emission peak is observed at 394 nm. Second strong one is the red band, and the highest emission peak is observed at 717 nm. The half-width of these main bands is approximately 17–19 nm, and such band's combination is typical for trivalent rare earth elements. Chemical analyses in this study show the abundances of many rare earth elements in the material. In order of abundance, they are yttrium (845 ppm), gadolinium (238 ppm), lutetium (196 ppm), dysprosium (45 ppm), neodymium (41 ppm), promethium (34 ppm), europium (18 ppm), and scandium (3 ppm). However, the two strong emission bands are, of course, due to yttrium and gadolinium ions, respectively.

As a result, the intensities of these bands gradually decreased forming a sequence until the temperature of 280 K. Hence, the photoluminescence of the Turkish dentritic agates does not exist at higher temperatures, mainly because of high iron (40.000 ppm) abundance.     

Structural analysis and biomedical potential of novel salicyloyloxy estrane derivatives synthesized by microwave irradiation

New estrane salicyloyloxy or D-homo derivatives were synthesized under microwave (MW) or conventional heating from estrane precursors and methyl salicylate. The MW technique provides advantages regarding product yield and reaction time, and represents a more environmentally friendly approach than conventional heating. Considering the biomedical potential of estrane compounds, we evaluated the antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity of synthesized estrane derivatives in a series of in vitro tests, as well as their 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/Δ⁵ → Δ⁴ isomerase (3βHSD) and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase types 1, 2 and 3 (17βHSD1, 17βHSD2 and 17βHSD3) inhibition potentials. In DPPH tests, 3-methoxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17β-yl salicylate displayed antioxidant potential, while all compounds exhibited OH radical neutralization activity. 3-Oxoestr-4-en-17β-yl salicylate showed strong cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, while 17-oxoestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3-yl salicylate, estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17β-diyl 3-benzoate 17-salicylate and 3-benzyloxy-17-salicyloyloxy-16,17-secoestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-16-nitrile showed the strongest inhibition of PC-3 prostate cancer cell growth. 3-Hydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17β-yl salicylate was the best inhibitor of 17βHSD2, suggesting potential use in treating pathological conditions associated with estrogen depletion. For 3-methoxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17β-yl salicylate and 3-oxoestr-4-en-17β-yl salicylate, X-ray crystal structure analysis and molecular energy optimization were performed to define their conformations and energy minima. Very good overlap in the region of the steroidal nucleus was observed for the molecular structures of each analyzed molecule in the crystalline state and after energy optimization, while conformer analysis indicates conformational flexibility in the form of rotation around the C17···O2 bond. Structural geometry analysis for these compounds shows that the region of ring A in steroids, and especially the C3 atom functional group, is important structural features concerning antiproliferative activity against MDA-MB-231 cells.

     

2. The raw materials of CA 2.1 Wood as natural raw materials for cellulose acetate production

The molecular arrangement of wood cell wall is described in relation to the physical and mechanical properties of wood. The chemical composition of wood is also summarized to illustrate the heterogeneity in distribution of cell wall constituents to use wood plup fibers judiciously as natural raw materials for cellulose acetate production.     

Molecular weight determination of hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) using size exclusion chromatography with a multi-angle laser light scattering detector

The molecular weight of hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS), a polymer used for enteric coating, was determined by means of size exclusion chromatography with a multi-angle laser light scattering detector. The weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of several lots and grades ranged approximately from 17000 to 20000, and the number-average molecular weight (Mn) was around 13000. The inter-day precision of measurement, in terms of the coefficient of variation, was less than 5%.     

On the simplicity of the automorphism group ofP(ω)/fin

Summary We prove that the automorphism group ofP()/fin remains simple if ₂ Cohen reals are added to a model of ZFC+CH.This paper is based on a part of author's Dissertation [4] written under the supervision of Professor Sabine Koppelberg whom the author would like to thank for her encouragement during the preparation of the thesis. Thanks are also due to the referee for some valuable suggestions on improvement of the formulation     

Thermochemical conversion of cellulose in polar solvent (sulfolane) into levoglucosan and other low molecular-weight substances

Pyrolysis of cellulose in sulfolane, an aprotic polar solvent, was conducted at the temperature between 200 and 330 °C. Sulfolane was used as a good solvent for levoglucosan, the major anhydromonosaccharide formed from cellulose pyrolysis, for prevention of the polymerization reaction. Cellulose was observed completely decomposed into soluble products in sulfolane within 3, 10, 60 and 480 min at 330, 280, 240 and 200 °C, respectively. The soluble products had molecular weights less than 500 after acetylation (GPC analysis) and similar product composition to that from cellulose pyrolysis under nitrogen (levoglucosan, levoglucosenone, furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural by HPLC analysis). Pyrolysis of cellulose in polar solvent, which can solubilize anhydromonosaccharides, is proposed as a method for selective formation of levoglucosan and other low molecular-weight (MW) substances. As well, the cellulose pyrolysis in sulfolane did not suffer from carbonization reactions (microscopic and IR spectroscopic analysis) as did cellulose pyrolysis under nitrogen or in dioctyl phthalate (a poor solvent for levoglucosan) which gave brown/black solids. The residues obtained from the pyrolysis in sulfolane were colorless and gave similar IR spectra to that of the original cellulose. Based on these results, a ‘surface-peeling mechanism’ is proposed, and the role of the solvent in the mechanism is discussed.