Production, Characterization, and Application of an Organic Solvent-Tolerant Lipase Present in Active Inclusion Bodies

An organic solvent-tolerant lipase from Serratia marcescens ECU1010 (rSML) was overproduced in Escherichia coli in an insoluble form. High concentrations of both biomass (50 g cell wet weight/L culture broth) and inclusion bodies (10.5 g/L) were obtained by applying a high-cell-density cultivation procedure. Activity assays indicated that the enzymatic activity of rSML reached 600 U/L. After treatment with isopropyl ether for 12 h, the maximum lipase activity reached 6,000 U/L. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy revealed the activation mechanism of rSML in the presence of organic solvents. rSML was stable in broad ranges of temperatures and pH values, as well as in a series of organic solvents. Besides, rSML showed the best enantioselectivity for the kinetic resolution of (±)-trans-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)glycidic acid methyl ester. These features render the S. marcescens ECU1010 lipase attractive for biotechnological applications in the field of organic synthesis and pharmaceutical industry.     

Molecular dynamics studies of ultrafast laser-induced nonthermal melting

Molecular Dynamics (MD) is employed to investigate nonthermal melting triggered by coherent phonon excitation in bismuth telluride, which has Peierls distortion in the lattice structure. Results showed that the structural distortion caused by coherent phonons appears as early as 80 fs, while it takes several picoseconds for the whole phonon-excited area to evolve into a liquid state. It was also found that the temperature in the phonon-excited area rises quickly within tens of femtoseconds, while the rest of the lattice remains at the initial temperature even after several picoseconds, which is separated from the high temperature region across a thin transition area. This phenomenon is analogous to the heat transfer across a solid–liquid interface, even though in our case there is no abrupt solid-liquid interface between the cold lattice and the quasiliquid.     

Direct Henry reactions with modified calcium oxide as solid catalyst

Commercial CaO was modified simply with benzyl bromide. The modified CaO had good water resistance, and characterization by FTIR and TG revealed the modifier was chemically bonded to the CaO surface. Commercial CaO and CaO modified with benzyl bromide were investigated as catalysts for the Henry reaction between benzaldehyde and nitromethane. It was found that the catalytic activity of the modified CaO was greatly improved, with high conversion of benzaldehyde to the (E)-phenyl nitroolefin and 1-phenyl-2-nitroethanol, and with different selectivity from commercial CaO. The effect of modification and reaction conditions on yield, selectivity, and mechanism were studied thoroughly.     

Isolation and Structural Study on Carbohydrates from Cynanchum otophyllum and Cynanchum paniculatum

Three new carbohydrates were isolated from the acidic hydrolysis part of the ethyl acetate extract of Cynanchum otophyllum Schneid (Asclepiadaceae) and one new carbohydrate from the ethyl acetate extract of Cynanchum paniculatum Kitagawa. Their structures were determined as methyl 2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-α-D-arabino-hexopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-2,6-deoxy-3-O-methyl-β-D-arabino-hexopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (1), ethyl 2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-β-D-ribo-hexopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-α-l-lyxo-hexopyranoside (2), met hyl 2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-α-l-ribo-hexopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-β-D-lyxo-hexopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (3), and 2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-β-D-ribo-hexopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-α-d-arabino-hexopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-2,6-dideoxy-3-O-methyl-α -d-arabino-hexopyranose (4), respectively, by spectral methods.     

Highly efficient oxidation of 2-imidazoline-5-carboxylic derivatives to imidazole-5-carboxylic derivatives by dioxygen

A highly efficient and environmental-benign oxidation by dioxygen (or air) as the sole oxidant was first applied for the conversion of 2-imidazoline-5-carboxylic derivatives to imidazole-5-carboxylic derivatives in very good and excellent yields. The substituent effect on 2-imidazoline ring was investigated. This protocol was also suitable for the synthesis of 2-imidazoles in relatively large scale.     

Unexpectedly ligand-free copper-catalyzed C–S cross-coupling of benzothiazole with aryl iodides in aqueous solution

A novel synthetic protocol for 2-aminophenyl sulfide derivatives via the reactions of benzothiazole with aryl iodides was reported for the first time. The reactions were catalyzed by CuCl with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as the base and water as the solvent without ligand at 50 °C or room temperature. A variety of aryl iodides underwent the C–S cross-coupling reaction with benzothiazole to afford smoothly the corresponding products in excellent yield.     

A Germanate Compound Constructed from Dissymmetric Ge7 Chains and Metal Complexes

Abstract. A novel germanate compound, |[Ni(dien)₂]₃(H₂O)₃|[Ge₇O₁₃F₅]₂(designated JU‐85, dien = diethylenetriamine), was solvothermally synthesized. The structure of JU‐85 was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and further characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. JU‐85 has dissymmetric chains constructed from diagonally linked Ge₇ building units and various Ni(dien)₂²⁺ complexes formed in situ during the synthesis. Compared with its structural analogue, FJ‐6, JU‐85 contains less complex cations and different host‐guest assembly. Besides the diagonal linkage in JU‐85, other dissymmetric linkages of Ge₇ building units were enumerated, which could be used as the stereogenic centers for the design of novel chiral germanate compounds.